We all should always thank god for his grace as well as for each and everything that he blessed us with in our life. The experience that I am sharing today is the one which hasn’t allowed me to sleep for two nights. It is a heart throbbing incident that I have ever witnessed in my life until now. It all begins with a heavy rainfall on a weekend night. All of us thanked god for the rains after a hot weather of the month of Jeth (June). Almost all in the city were happy with the first downpour of the season. I saw people enjoying on streets, kinds having fun in puddles, with a cool environment I too was enjoying the gift of nature with a hot cup of tea in my hand. I do enjoy the lingering smell of that wet soil with the first shower of the season. After finishing my tea I can’t resist myself of going on streets, where I saw a sweet teen age couple having a hot cup of tea with the hot snacks of Pakodas (Bajiyas). I also saw an old romantic couple on side of road having hot gathiyas with a hot cup of tea shivering from the cold shower on them. All were feeling blessed with the gift of first shower from the Mother Nature.
While walking around the street with my yellow color Umbrella, I noticed water blockages on the road side, outside the society and outside some shopping complexes. As the Drainage Menol over the road side were stuck with the garbage, waste and overloaded with the rain water. Suddenly all the tea stalls and the live snacks stall beside the road side got busy satisfying the needs of their customers. I loved walking in the rain beside the road side with my umbrella looking people enjoying the rains. But who knows that all this is going to get stopped soon. By the mid night the rains stopped.
The next day was the day of leisure, the Sunday. It began with a noise of crowd deciding who is going to clean the mess of the blockage in the drainage menol and what is the amount that should be paid for cleaning this? I was bit curious about that because the municipality was not working due to Sunday. The head of the society got a local drainage cleaner for the task. I was bit curious that how a person will clean drainage menol which is almost filled till his neck. I stood there curiously looking at the task. Now the thing that I noticed was something unbelievable and risky, this was something like playing with the death. I noticed that the person got down into the Menol where the stinking drainage water was up to his neck and he was trying to clear the blockage with his leg. He was almost 90% in to the stinking drainage water. I was shock that for earning a living one has to risk his life at this extent. He completed the task within round about 30 minutes and my secretary of society without asking for even a glass of water handed 350 bucks and asked him to clean the left over dirt surrounding the menol and he did it happily.
I was looking to him very curiously and finally I couldn’t resist myself and I walked to him offered a glass of water. He looked to be happy so I proceeded further asking about him. He narrated his name as Jivabhai (The name has been changed). My curiosity didn’t end over here, I asked more about him. Talking to me he said that he is cleaning the menols since 35 years. He started working with his father when he was of the age of 22, working for Rs. 70 to clean the drainage during rainy season. Now he gets Rs. 350 for that. His total family income reaches to round about Rs. 6000 where his son of age 23 helps him to do the tasks. I just asked him, why did he took such a risk over his life? Adding to his conversation with me he told they are being ignored by the society and are treated as inhuman by general people. So this was the only task to stay connected with the society. I thought he was happy in contributing to the Swaach Bharat mission of our Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi.
Now just think for a while about your situation and job. We all have air conditioned rooms, Laptops, Smart phones, clean offices, peons serving you tea or coffee, wifi and much more comforts. But inspite of this we complain regarding small comforts that are missing at our offices. So the next time when you complain just think of Jivabhai and you will feel more blessed and graceful. I thank god from the depth of my heart for providing me such a healthy, clean and a beautiful place for work.
Thank you to My Parents, My Family, My Teachers & Mentors, My Professors & Guide, My Boss, My colleagues and The Ultimate creator (the Almighty) for their blessings and grace. For the mind blowing job and the work environment, that I have been blessed with by them in my life.
Mr. Jignesh N. Vidani 