Raju is busy in Rajender Nagar on street of Delhi selling the country and world in maps form to the people for barely minimum price for making his day living with hard bargaining to receive less selling and more humiliation by people who ask him to run away from them without least concerned to understand his need to survive perhaps his marketing skills are put down in defeat to only renew in hope to apply next person.
I was touched by Raju’s struggle for his life who has learned the map very well to endure his customer he states the names of river, continents, and boundaries of Asia and of course the quality of maps hang on his back walking behind people to maneuver them to purchase his product from one end to other end. As I was moving back home from my walk, Raju approach me with his collection of map and solemnly invited me to have a look at maps to choose one according to my use. Though I was not in need to conquer the world but I was pleased by Raju’s courtesy and his pleasantness to sell me the map.
The great nuances in we Indians is that we never learn the art of map reading as compare to the west citizens; we take it more aerial route to ask the address from anyone stranger to find our destination but we don’t refer the maps to reach our end. I was also amused how technology has snapped the livelihood of many art workers and marketers like raju who take the effort to bring the address of world on paper and make living nevertheless the shrinking of maps into formats of electronic maps, with GPS are increasing yet we prefer atlas and conventional maps to learn the geography, history, and geo-political knowledge.
Raju is a common man who is trying find his bread for the day by selling maps from one corner to another corner and there are many raju’s in India who are striving hard to handle life for two square meals with whatever they are fetching to survive whether in hotels, streets, homes, and in other miscellaneous jobs. Their goal for the day is to earn to live that also come with added responsibility for them to look after their family in city or by sending salaries to their towns above their needs the most important to fulfill familial needs irrespective of their health and undesired living conditions they have to manage and keep going on.
They have no reason or time to think than manage their work other than spend time to agitate or find alternative recreation way to keep them happy, happiness has taken the shape of work to them and they are happy or adjusted to be happy with it. These are mortals who quench their thirst with water comparing to the people who cannot survive without cold drink, or bear to walk under sun with great difficulty due to their air conditioning and spend lavish money of their parents in paying taxes of big restaurant and bars and sometime do charity for namesake to their drivers, servants, and child beggars on street against their persistent request; The contrast in society make me helpless to break all rules and share the true equality among society to equate raju and others against the hypocrisy of life but perhaps my utopian wish can be only fulfilled by what I and raju share in common Hope thy God to make things better on earth.
I asked Raju about his life though he believe in hope but yet blame destiny for his conditions rather hard to manage life and complaint miserability of fortune, as everyone are not lucky to have good childhood with good education and parenthood. Yet few out of them became brilliant in many ways and some always struck in the pretense of life. Raju is finding the way from the cross roads in travesties of life nonetheless those children with all facilities and merits most time miss their way and turn to bad habits and resulting in bad guy or girl against the’ good’. This really makes me difficult to understand why such discrimination when we all worship uniform ‘God’ the hope in distinct ways. I feel our country has enamored with programs policies and plans with leaps and bounds of budget spending in names of Raju than why these benefits don’t touch life of raju in concrete way to facilitate them a decent living. The fruits of empowerment with good health, education, and happy life are the dream wish for raju that is unknown to him when they will come to reality in his life.
The world is turning to be selfish cluster of jamboree and cut throat competition has made it categorical to think for them than others to extricate, accumulate and snatch against others for self. Looking at raju for a moment my heart filled in profound sympathy and gratitude to god for blessing a wonderful my life truly. I thought we need to think of mutual needs and brought maps for his need than mine and prayed sincerely may god bless Raju a good Life with peace and prosperity.
No comments:
Post a Comment