PARIJAT-9

The nimbleness of his fingers over the computer keyboard tells the story of an unfathomable piano player. The speed was breath taking and presentation on the screen was crisp. In one breadth it tells you all accounting information of the construction site, the daily out put, work in progress vis-à-vis planned, material at stock, future requirements etc: an excellent piece of self developed, tailor made management information system. John had never thought of somebody presenting with such intensity for a post of an accountant at a construction site. He was just dumbfounded and was at the edge of his chair, his vision riveted to computer screen and attention glued to the analysis. His senior colleague from head office bears no expression on his face. He does not appear to be that excited. An aged body with aged mind loves his cigar and has gone out once in between presentation to emit that black smoke like an aged and outdated train engine.

The make-shift interview room at the construction site was clumsily humid due to slight drizzle and overcast sky. The light outside was dim in cloudy sky. The old model florescent light inside the room was just adequate. The table fan struggles to push the air and gnaws at its failure. There are drops of perspiration on presenter face. He looks tensed. The muscles on his face are in movements, lips dances in expression and eyes flicker brighten ups as the desired and the expected flashes on the computer screen but in the ends it is all the expression of a plaintiff note, cloudy and smoky, the scene of water vapours engulfing that tiny fire of aspiration. With all coordinated efforts of tiny muscles the vocal chord does not emit that sweetness; it is all grunts, grunts of failure, grunts of desperation and grunts of that armless lonely warrior. With all that he smiles with satisfaction in the end as he bows his head while computer screen flashes the message:-

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF RAJA

PHYSICALLY DEFFICIENT, DUMB

BUT

MENTALLY AGILE, BRIGHT.

The so called mental agility of Raja had no effect in the mind of John senior colleague. His expressionless face conveys the assumed and preconceived reality. The boy is dumb. He does not fit into the scheme. The rule book does not permit too. There is no room for sympathy here. John knew that his colleague will not make any deviation from the practice. Still he stood up and extended a warm shake of hand to Raja. The boy had in fact done a commendable job. He was exceptional. He was out of ordinary. But it requires exceptional brain to understand that. We need to peep out of that cocoon to understand that. Rules are generalist in nature. It recognizes average and talks of average and meant for average. The exceptional conveys his own rule. It requires an exceptional brain, courage and convictions and willingness to recognize that.

Raja had left the construction site. He is bestowed with the brilliant acumen of understanding the situation and comprehending the situation very quickly. He had read that expressionless face. He had understood the message behind John warm hand shake. The vibration of shaky hand had conveyed him everything. He does not require that. He does not require sympathy on anybody look. He requires the reorganization. He wants to overcome that feeling of failure, that feeling of impotency. He wants to be one among the physically efficient person. He wants to overcome the deficiency of dumbness with his mental sharpness. But nobody sees that, nobody hears that. All that they hear the grunts, the grunts of a defeated person. Who cares for that feeling? Who cares for that mental agility and the talent of exception in the world of the averages?

Suddenly Raja felt the burden of the laptop on his shoulder. It is becoming heavy, increasingly heavy. But he is determined to carry on with the burden as he marches on. He races along alone in that marathon of life always competing with himself, redefining himself, rediscovering himself. It is journey of self-discovery towards self actualization.

AAHH, it is beautiful! Parijats, are you smiling!