Blog

April 2012

Our present work may be great or small. Yet the important thing is to do it well. – Chinmaya

A youngster came to the public telephone booth, dialled a number and started a conversation.

“Madam, is there any vacancy for the servant post at your residence?”

A reply came from the other end, “No, thank you.”

The youngster persisted, “Madam, I am ready to do any kind of work – cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, sweeping, gardening, driving, shopping…”

“No, we already have one wonderful boy who is efficiently doing all these.”

“But Madam, I’ll do everything for just half the salary you pay him…”

“Thanks a lot, but sorry, you may try elsewhere.”

The lady disconnected the call. The youngster approached the owner of the shop to pay the bill.

The owner, who was listening to the conversation, consoled him “Dear, come with me and I’ll give you a good job.” But the boy refused, saying he already has a job.

To the confused shop owner, the youngster said, “I am the very same boy who is working at that lady’s residence!!”

What an innovative way of self-assessment!

The great ones gain their inspiration from their vision and conviction, and not from the rewards or recognition.

Once, an officer suggested to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, “Sir let us write the history of Azad Hind Fauz (Indian National Army).”

Pat came the reply, “Let us first make it. Surely, then there will be someone who will eventually write it.”

While putting forth our efforts, let us not compare ourselves with others. Instead, let us compete with ourselves each time to bring out an ‘even-more better’ from us!

Once, Dr Vishweshwaraiah, a renowned engineer, was passing through a village. The teachers of that village requested him to deliver a speech before the children of the school. First, he tried to avoid, but seeing the teachers requesting earnestly, he gave in and delivered a short speech before the children. But later he began feeling sorry to have delivered a speech without any preparation. Next week, he wrote to the teachers of the school that he wanted to deliver a speech again to the same children.

The teachers were greatly surprised to receive such a letter from him. They were not able to understand as to why so busy a person of such great renown had offered to deliver a speech for children without being asked for it.

Dr Vishweshwaraiah came to the school and read his fresh speech before the children. Addressing them he said, “How does it matter if all of you are only children? I should not have brought down the quality of my speech. A good thing comes into existence only after a suitable preparation for it. I was not satisfied with my speech delivered earlier. So I have come again to this place to correct my mistake.”

A person’s greatness is seen not in his big achievements, but in how much of attention he pays to the little insignificant acts of life, says Swami Vivekananda.

Once, Mahatma Gandhi had a short stay in Anand Bhavan. During his sojourn, one day in the morning, he was washing his hands and face with water, and at the same time, he was also discussing something with Jawaharlal Nehru. Suddenly Gandhiji’s mood changed and the discussion stopped abruptly. “What’s the matter Bapu?” asked Nehruji. Gandhiji lamented, “I was so lost in the discussion that the quantity of water that I had taken, and which should have been sufficient for washing the hands and face, has come to an end. Now I have to take some extra water.”

Jawaharlal Nehru laughed and said, “Bapu! There is no dearth of water here. You can use as much water you like. The Ganga and the Jamuna, both the rivers, flow together here.”

Gandhiji said, “The Ganga and the Jamuna don’t flow for me alone. No matter in what large quantities a thing has been provided by nature, one should take for himself only the quantity actually required by him.”

May we serve Him as best as we can by fully utilizing the talents and abilities that He has given us. Living a life of purity and service, may we make our Creator proud and happy for having created us!

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