“Aap Kamai ho yaa baap kamai..?” one of the two of those lawari type boys asked me.  I was travelling from Rajkot to Jamnagar in some maruti Eeco, a common method of transportation between the two cities.

When I just got down from the rickshaw, and handed him a 10-rupee note, getting down at what localites call- madhapar chowk. However I can’t forget to mention that I was a localite once, a Rajkotian, all this Once Upon a Time… As I just stepped down and took the first step, one of the van wala called me saying – “Gadi Updej che, bas ek j ghate che” (only one seat is left, we are just getting started) ….. the way those gadi walas call people for jamnagar, is like a vendor selling garma garam fafda-jalebis , may be even better. And trust me, they are far more eligible salesman and far better at convincing people than the sales person you get to see at the car showrooms. And I was like – ok chalo.. and put my bag at the back and setteled. Opposite to me was some middle aged man, must be in his 40’s and we just smiled and looked forward to what to do next.

And now comes the two hero of the story. The back seats were made for four people. (company made for two, but these guys make it for four). And so two boys worse than ever came and sat next to us. This was it. The car started. I can hear the loud music being played – “bhaag bhaag DK bose.. Dk Bose.. Dk Bose…Aandhi aayi haii”. In the meanwhile I had to fix something before I reach Jamnagar- the net of my red JBL headphones got removed somehow and I was tryig tough to fix it. It was then that one of the two guys asked me-“aap Kamai cho k Baap kamai ?”. And I was confused for a moment, didn’t know what to answer. Something had to be said, and I replied – “aatyarna to baap kamai chu. Thodi vaar lagse aap kamai mate” (As of now, I live on my dad’s money. It will take some time for me to survive on my own).

“aa headphones su china n ache ?” One of the boy said.

I was like WTF man, can’t you read the JBL written over it….I didn’t speak anything.

“Kyarek aamari jem jivi ne jov to khbar pade paisa ni kimmat su che… Ek rupiyo pan kem made che tamne nathi khabar…” (Live our lives someday and you will realize the value of a rupee. You will learn how difficult it is to even earn a single penny) – Said one of them.

And after this, none of us spoke either. They started talking with each other in some Kutchi language, I guess. And I just kept on thinking. Thinking.

It occurred to me that suppose you just take me and put me into some city just in three clothes and ask me to survive on my own.. What would I do..? If so happens, then years later, I would turn out to be the most eligible financer for myself, most eligible CEO and with all the managerial skills. Because when you have nothing else to do, you always find for more. May be a reason that dhirubhai ambani got to be this great… However all this thoughts always come with a “May Be” condition.

Whatever it may be, it always occurs to me that you just expose yourself to the market. Try to live on self-earned money for a week or a month, and trust me you those days will give you the biggest business lessons in life.

Both of the two boys were 18 years old and they owned their own maruti eeco and were into this transport business since they were kids. Their parents threw them away at the age of 7. Now think of yourself, what were you at the age of 7 ?? Cuddled by parents and going to school, a small little immature boy, you didn’t have to worry about your afternoon meals or morning breakfast. On the other ide there were these guys who used to sell vada pav at the railway stations, selling chikkis, water bottles and what not. It is them who have to worry of where will they sleep at the night? What if police caught them sleeping at the temple? What if they don’t get enough money to buy them food?

How easy it is for us to watch a movie- just open the laptop- an access to unlimited Wi-Fi, watch movies, TV series with JBL or Sony headphones wired in…

What they said was that after every few weekends, they get to save some 70-80 bucks and they have a treat, watch a movie (not in the inox or cinepolis), go to the masjid and pray at the dargah. I often feel that we all educated idiots lack something. May be I have an answer today.

Most of us reading this must be good looking and must have had a girlfriend. For these guys, it’s only a glance to someone beautiful, half a mile away and they have to satisfy themselves. Porsche parties, night outs, handovers, friends, chicks, selfies… all this is a part of our daily life, may be a reason we are some light years away from reality…some light years away from the real world. All we need as of now is a deep, really deep conversation with our self and ask – why the hell am I doing this..? We need to think beyond chicks and chicken, then only we can go more…. It’s never really cool to go to the office with a bag on one shoulder and a tiffin box at the other.  

However, I cannot say that those guys will definitely be successful or the people like them will definitely succeed. All I can say is that in this ultra-modern, high cultured and cosmopolitan lifestyle, we are someway or the other, going away from the reality. And the reality lies in the grounds…

Kurshad Batliwala, whom we call Bawa, once said “You organize four events on your own and you will understand marketing and management better than any MBA..” And this extract strongly supports it.

At the end of this, I can just say that some to the real world as early as you can. Here not every programmer becomes Bill Gates or Mark Zukerburg. Here it is difficult even to breathe in peace. Here everyone is a bitch. And here, every endings are not really the happy ones…

Hope that this helps you survive better.

By – Sneh Sonaiya