The man who sold newspapers

The evening was chilly, with cold wind blowing across the raging waters of Ganges, at Haridwar. As we were waiting on its bank for the daily Arti (Prayer) to begin, I spotted him, selling one sheet of the newspaper for Re.1 (as we were expected to sit when the Arti took place). There was nothing unusual about him… He was just another guy earning his bread and butter.  He was dressed (smartly though) in a dirty dhoti kurta, wearing a matching topi on top— another person making his living. So what was unique about him?

Firstly, it was the unusual way he was working to support himself (and his family) that sparked my interest in him. I don’t think many people can think of earning money by selling ONE sheet of newspaper, that too for us to sit on the ground! Isn’t it amazing what different things people do to survive? The varied means through which people earn if only just to satiate their hunger never ceases to astound me!

But what impressed me more than his remarkable entrepreneurial skill was the cheerfulness with which he did his job. Undeterred by his appearance, he shouted “Ek rupaye mein ek paper”, while joking around with all the security guards and troubling the policemen stationed there to control the crowd. He was shouting, talking, laughing, making fun—he did not seem to have a care in the world, and it seemed like he was living for the moment, and certainly did not care what people thought of him…  

I was so intrigued by his jolly nature that I wanted to speak to him and give him some money… But somehow, that did not seem right since he was earning his income and wasn’t a mendicant. Nevertheless, I wanted to interact with him at least once and thankfully, I got the opportunity of talking to him soon. Once the Arti was done, he got the burning camphor on a plate and offered it to all of us standing there… donating money on the plate was optional. Seeing this as a good chance to speak with him, I went and took the Arti. Placing a Rs.5 coin on his plate, I asked him if I could take his picture. He cheerfully replied “Haan haan beta kyu nahi… Hum to Lal Bahadur Shastri hain” (Sure why not! After all I am Lal Bahadur Shastri). I clicked about 5 pictures of his. Unfortunately, none of his pictures came out well. When I told him so, he replied, “ Humari photo kabhi achi nhi aati beta… Hum to khud hi ek chalti phirti photo hai” (None of my pictures come out well.. in fact I myself am a walking & talking photo).  His cheerful carefree demeanor made me feel really grateful for having interacted with him.

This experience made me contemplate— how am I living my life? After talking to him, I realized how lucky I actually am… I have more than what I need to survive— I have a good job, a good home to live in; I get good food to eat, I have people who love and care for me… And yet, most of the times, I am dissatisfied, upset, angry about something or the other. The stark difference in our attitudes struck me the most. Here he was, not having good clothes to wear, or make enough money to save for his retirement, or even be assured of getting two square meals a day… And yet, he seemed so much happier and content in his life!

Isn’t this the case with most of us today? We waste so much of our time in giving importance to the things we don’t have, that we fail to see all the things we DO have.

When we get Adidas instead of Nike, or if the Dior perfume that we wanted isn’t available, or the Gucci bag that we wanted has been bought by someone else, we get so upset and frustrated! We pine so much for the latest i-phone or i-pad! Is brand really that important? Or have we become so materialistic that the presence of a product is what defines us?

That day, I learnt that it’s the attitude that makes all the difference— I can either choose to be grateful about things that I have or whine about things that I don’t.  It is my choice.

I’m glad I met a stranger who taught me so much about how to live. I just hope I have many more of such eye opening experiences, which help me live my life better. J