BLAMING IT ON THE RAINS

“The gods only go with you if you put yourself in their path.

And that takes courage.”
― Mary Stewart

Our strengths have nothing to do with our talents and skills. Strengths are our personal traits… something inbuilt in our system, as our strong characteristics… something unique and inseparable part of our personality. We may be exceptionally talented or skilled, but we may be found wanting in some simple human qualities like initiative, enthusiasm, patience, empathy, ability to adjust and accommodate, sharing and caring, being loyal, committed, focused, ability to say ‘sorry’, being genuinely humble and grateful… I can add another one dozen such simple human qualities, that make us not only fine humans, but, also, fine leaders. Yes, these are leadership qualities… and, our superiors – Teachers, Headmasters, Principals, and Bosses etc – quietly observe these qualities of ours and they, invariably, pick us up to be class monitors, school captains, team leaders and so on.

Sorry Sir: our talents and skills alone will not be sufficient. We need to display our strengths – our unique personal traits – to be noticed and handpicked from the lot…

Unfortunately, that’s a bitter truth… and the sole reason why some of the most talented and skilled men and women end up being sidelined in life.

The local primary school, where I had started my schooling had no electricity or toilets. But, who cared? We were kids and we were full of life. There were no peons in the school for helping our Teachers and the Head Teacher. So, our Head Teacher, Mrs. Celine Tauro, who was very fond of me, would send me to fetch some mid-noon snacks from a hotel nearby. I remember feeling excited about the fact that she chose me of all the boys and girls in the school… It was an honour, a privilege, indeed. Much later, when I became teacher here in Mumbai, I would do similar thing – pick up some of my ‘’favourite’ boys or girls and send them on some 'small missions' – like ‘Bring that or bring this'… 'Deliver this there or here'… 'Meet so and so' or 'Deposit in the bank a cheque' or 'Send this courier to someone' etc..

Misusing my position?

You have the choice to think so, too…

I do not see it that way. For, I did not see what our Head Teacher did, over half century ago, with me as ‘misuse of her position’. Instead, I see them as important dots of my destiny… And, looking back, I am able to connect all those dots… 

Walking the ‘extra mile’ doesn’t come easily to the majority… particularly in the present scenario. The children are privileged and well-fed, today. They are sent to the 'top schools' and in chauffeur-driven cars… Parents do not want their children to ‘suffer’ in life… they do not want their children to go through what they had to… All that, all that. Yes, crap!

Yes, initiative and enthusiasm are qualities that set us apart from the crowd. They are our strengths.  And, as all do not possess these strengths, all do not become leaders, too.

The so-called ‘top schools’ will never be able to build in the child these strengths called initiative and enthusiasm. They will never be able to infuse in the kid that priceless quality of walking the ‘extra mile’… doing it without being told… and doing it for sheer joy and not for money and recognition alone.

Too idealistic?

Not at all, Sir.

Presently, there is this boy in my class, named Sharan*. He comes from a  low-income family and lives in one of the chawls around here. He goes to a  local college. He is my ‘Boy-Friday’… I send him on my ‘small daily-missions’… 'Do that and to this', 'Go there and go here'… 'Meet so and so 'and 'Do such and such things'. His dad has called me many times to convey his appreciation… “Sir, he loves to do such things… I find such things are very important in life… Thanks for ‘picking him up’!”

Wow! “Thank for picking him up”!

That is the point I am trying to make, Sir.

This boy knows how and when to say ‘No’, how and when to say ‘Yes’. He is very assertive and never allows himself to be ‘misused’. He calls me to report after every little mission – “Sir, mission completed successfully”...

I go to sleep, peacefully!

On the other hand, there is, also, this young man in my class, named Taurn*. He comes from a family of well-educated and well-placed parents. He goes to a ‘top college’ in the city. Last afternoon, I, instinctively, requested him to do a small task: to handover a certificate and a copy of our new book to a resident in his Society, who lived a couple of buildings away from his own. “Beta, it’s urgent,” I stressed, “Please call me or message me after you have done the job.”

The young man left around 3.30 in the noon. At 10:30, just before retiring to bed, I checked my message box and call list. No message, no call. So, I called up the young man, “Beta, did you complete the mission?”

“No Sir,” was the reply, “As it was raining, I will be doing it tomorrow!”

“But, beta, it was urgent… and, you had to call me or message me,” I reminded.

“Sorry Sir.”

The next thing I did was, I called up the person concerned and said, “Can you please collect from this boy?” I gave the address and the phone number.

Ten minutes later, I got a call from the gentleman, “Thank you so much Sir. Collected.”

Four decades ago, when I was new and struggling in Mumbai, I had read two powerful books ‘The Law of Success’ by Napoleon Hill (His ‘Think and Grow Rich’ was my Bible!)… in which I came across the lessons on Initiative, Enthusiasm, Leadership etc. The other book was ‘How to Stop Worrying and Start Living’ by Dale Carnegie (Remember his other classics: ‘How to Make Friends and Influence People’ and ‘Public Speaking and Self-confidence’?) Well, at the end of ‘How to Stop-worrying….’ Carnegie had included three famous essays: ‘A Message to Garcia’ (Elbert Hubbard), ‘Acres of Diamonds’ (Russel Conwell) and ‘As a Man Thinketh’ (James Allen). Trust me, I had read them over and over and over again when I was new in this city and struggling… Yes, I wanted those lessons very, very, very badly in my life.

Not many  young men, today, read an essay like ‘A Message to Garcia’, even though it’s there just a click away…

That’s why my young student, last night, blamed it on the rains!

*Names changed

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: Anil Bedi