NOTHING IS LOWLY OR AN OBSTACLE FOR THE REALLY DETERMINED....!!!
There were two rickshaw-walas vying for our business when we wanted to go to Sankat-Mochan temple in Benaras. I agreed to go with the one who was about 20, seemed like a regular young rickshaw-wala, but I found something interesting about this fellow in his eyes. I was not proved wrong.
He wanted Rs 50, we said Rs 30. We settled for 40.
Here are the highlights of the conversation that ensued while he rode the rickshaw:
"aap kahaan se aaye hain"
"Delhi"
"bijness yaa kaam kartay hain?"
"naukri kartay hain"
"kismein"
"internet mein"
"hamaaraa bhi kuch wahin kaam lagwaa do"
I just chuckled
"main try kar rahaa hoon engineering padhnay ki. achchi naukri lag jaayegi tab"
"achchaa?" I asked a little interested
"haan, Delhi mein Guru Gobind Singh Indraprashta University mein engineering ke liye apply karaa hai. achchi hai woh university"
"haan, achchi hai", I agreed.
"haan, kal hee maine JEE bhi diyaa"
"JEE matlab, IIT kaa?"
"haan, Joint Entrance Examination" he pronounced it perfectly just to make it clear to me what JEE stood for. "mushkil hotaa hai exam"
"haan, 2 saal toh log padhtay hee hain uskay liye, aasaan nahin hai" I carried on the conversation
"Delhi mein Akaash coaching institute hain na?"
"haan, hai"
"aapne kyaa padhaai kari?"
"main engineer hoon, aur phir MBA bhi kiya"
"kahan say engineer?"
"IIT delhi say"
He swung back, surprised, a little delighted, and smiled. "Ok, aapkay liye Rs 30"
Swati and I laughed
Swati asked "padhaai kab kartay they IIT kay liye"
"bas, rickshaw chalaane ke baad raat mein". Then he added "kismein engineering kari aapnay?"
"Chemical"
"toh aapki chemistry toh badi strong hogi"
"nahin, aisaa nahin hai"
He continued "yeh bataaiye....jab Mendeleev nay Periodic Table banaayaa tha tab kitnay elements they usmein?"
Now it was my turn to get surprised. He was quizzing me. I said "shaayad 70-80"
"no, 63" he said sharply. "kaunse element ki electronegativity highest hai?"
Swati was laughing, and I didnt try too hard and said "pata nahin"
"Flourine", he said confidently. Without a break he asked,"kaunsay element ki electron affinity highest hoti hai?"
Now I was laughing too and said "nahin pataa"
"Chlorine. toh aapkaa kaunsaa subject strong thaa?" clearly having proven that my chemistry wasn't a strong point.
"Physics", I said
"achhaa, Newton's second law of motion kyaa hai"
I knew this one I thought, "F=ma" I said
"Physics is not about formula, it is understanding concept!" he reprimanded me in near perfect english. "Tell me in statement"
I was shocked. Swati continued to laugh.
I said "ok, Newtons second law, er....was...."
" 'was' nahin, 'is'! Second law abhi bhi hai!" he snapped at my use of 'was'
Surely, my physics wasn't impressing him either. "yaad nahin, I said"
"Force on an object is directly proportional to the mass of the object and the acceleration of the object", he said it in near perfect English. "aapnay M Tech nahin kiyaa?"
"nahin, MBA kiyaa"
"MBA waalay toh sirf paisa kamaanaa chahtay hain, kaam nahin kartay"
"nahin, aisaa nahin hai, paisaa kamaanay kay liye kaam karnaa padtaa hai"
He said "array, rehenay do" or some words to that effect. He didnt think too highly of me apparently anymore.
In a minute we reached our destination. We got off and I told him that he must and should definitely study more, and that I think he is sharp as hell. He took only Rs 30, smiled and began to leave. I got my camera out and said "Raju, ek photo letaa hoon tumhaari". He waved me off, dismissed the idea and rode off before I could say anything more....leaving me feeling high and dry like a spurned lover.
Damn, what a ride that was! India is changing, and changing fast.
- Jitendra S. Girase
He wanted Rs 50, we said Rs 30. We settled for 40.
Here are the highlights of the conversation that ensued while he rode the rickshaw:
"aap kahaan se aaye hain"
"Delhi"
"bijness yaa kaam kartay hain?"
"naukri kartay hain"
"kismein"
"internet mein"
"hamaaraa bhi kuch wahin kaam lagwaa do"
I just chuckled
"main try kar rahaa hoon engineering padhnay ki. achchi naukri lag jaayegi tab"
"achchaa?" I asked a little interested
"haan, Delhi mein Guru Gobind Singh Indraprashta University mein engineering ke liye apply karaa hai. achchi hai woh university"
"haan, achchi hai", I agreed.
"haan, kal hee maine JEE bhi diyaa"
"JEE matlab, IIT kaa?"
"haan, Joint Entrance Examination" he pronounced it perfectly just to make it clear to me what JEE stood for. "mushkil hotaa hai exam"
"haan, 2 saal toh log padhtay hee hain uskay liye, aasaan nahin hai" I carried on the conversation
"Delhi mein Akaash coaching institute hain na?"
"haan, hai"
"aapne kyaa padhaai kari?"
"main engineer hoon, aur phir MBA bhi kiya"
"kahan say engineer?"
"IIT delhi say"
He swung back, surprised, a little delighted, and smiled. "Ok, aapkay liye Rs 30"
Swati and I laughed
Swati asked "padhaai kab kartay they IIT kay liye"
"bas, rickshaw chalaane ke baad raat mein". Then he added "kismein engineering kari aapnay?"
"Chemical"
"toh aapki chemistry toh badi strong hogi"
"nahin, aisaa nahin hai"
He continued "yeh bataaiye....jab Mendeleev nay Periodic Table banaayaa tha tab kitnay elements they usmein?"
Now it was my turn to get surprised. He was quizzing me. I said "shaayad 70-80"
"no, 63" he said sharply. "kaunse element ki electronegativity highest hai?"
Swati was laughing, and I didnt try too hard and said "pata nahin"
"Flourine", he said confidently. Without a break he asked,"kaunsay element ki electron affinity highest hoti hai?"
Now I was laughing too and said "nahin pataa"
"Chlorine. toh aapkaa kaunsaa subject strong thaa?" clearly having proven that my chemistry wasn't a strong point.
"Physics", I said
"achhaa, Newton's second law of motion kyaa hai"
I knew this one I thought, "F=ma" I said
"Physics is not about formula, it is understanding concept!" he reprimanded me in near perfect english. "Tell me in statement"
I was shocked. Swati continued to laugh.
I said "ok, Newtons second law, er....was...."
" 'was' nahin, 'is'! Second law abhi bhi hai!" he snapped at my use of 'was'
Surely, my physics wasn't impressing him either. "yaad nahin, I said"
"Force on an object is directly proportional to the mass of the object and the acceleration of the object", he said it in near perfect English. "aapnay M Tech nahin kiyaa?"
"nahin, MBA kiyaa"
"MBA waalay toh sirf paisa kamaanaa chahtay hain, kaam nahin kartay"
"nahin, aisaa nahin hai, paisaa kamaanay kay liye kaam karnaa padtaa hai"
He said "array, rehenay do" or some words to that effect. He didnt think too highly of me apparently anymore.
In a minute we reached our destination. We got off and I told him that he must and should definitely study more, and that I think he is sharp as hell. He took only Rs 30, smiled and began to leave. I got my camera out and said "Raju, ek photo letaa hoon tumhaari". He waved me off, dismissed the idea and rode off before I could say anything more....leaving me feeling high and dry like a spurned lover.
Damn, what a ride that was! India is changing, and changing fast.
- Jitendra S. Girase
Ravi
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