I had to wait for 2 hours for my train at the Howrah railway station. I started looking around for a place to sit and wait. Like most Indian stations, the search to find the place was tough. As I spotted a seat somewhere in the middle of humanity I rushed before someone else made better of the opportunity. While elbowing my way through the usual Kolkata style - laid back crowd, I suddenly found a man scouting right in the middle of the passage. Carefully I manoeuvred my luggage around him and claimed my prize.. the edge of an overcrowded bench.
After making myself as comfortable as I could, I started exploring. My eyes fell on the same man. He was actually polishing a shoe. I was reminded of my school days when we were forced into ensuring that our shoes shone with mirror finish. Somehow I could not take my eyes off this person. Very meticulously and with a sense of engagement and high purpose he was polishing the shoes. He was first dusting the shoes. This was followed by a generous dip of his finger into a gel like substance which he meticulously applied on some well chosen corners of the shoes. To me it looked like a doctor applying ointment. Then with a strange brush dipped in a black liquid polish, he cleaned the hard corners and edges. Then it was the turn of the polish. With small strokes he spread the polish all over the surface. When I thought that he is close to completion of his task, he replaced the brush with another one from his (at-least) half a century old wooden box. First he used the brush which had hair resembling that of an old man. With strange strokes and full concentration he brushed the shoe, almost as if he is busy making a piece of art. Not once did he take his eyes off his masterpiece. Finally he took the newer brush in his hand and gave the shoe a photo finish.
We Indians don't feel the need to thank. We don't ever care to acknowledge the good work , specially when it comes from humble folks. However the look on the face of the man whose shoe was being polished was that of contentment. He gave five rupees to the person who made his old shabby shoe look like a recent purchase from Khadims. The shoe polisher moved on. Here was a man who meticulously did his job. Gave patient and well engaged five minutes to earn five rupees. I was overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions. He is one of the numerous entrepreneur who silently provide high quality service to this nation. They win the bread for themselves and their families with pure undiluted hard work. Respect. . . At the same time his approach to his work and the look on his face as he worked upon his masterpiece made me wonder how many of us - the white collared, the blue collared, the professionals... go about our work with such dedication and high purpose? Strange ...