A Memorable Night

It was a regular Friday evening and I was on my way home from office with my friend. It also coincided with the Birthday eve of another common friend.

Some calls were made, a whatsapp group formed, and a plan to go to a resto club.

I can’t drive for lack of enthusiasm and my friends can’t, for reasons quite obvious. A driver was arranged from an agency which operates just for the late night party goers.

A mild mannered man turned up to be the designated driver for the night. I guessed his age to be around the early 50’s.The man had more salt and less pepper hair, short height, and insipid personality overall. What was striking was his courteousness and resolute eyes. The journey onward just kept me busy with questions; Why does this man do this oddly timed job? What has kept up his zeal and motivation to be doing a nearly graveyard shift job without any hint of irritation? He was an enigma to me.

We reached our destination in one of the posh localities of Suburban Mumbai. Momentarily the place, the noise and the people flew me away from the driver to observe the place.

Dimly lit, loud music and colorful people all around. I was imagining to myself how many people with how many stories just converged into the dark room which suddenly and frequently got white light as people flashed for pictures.

Drinks were flowing merrily and smoke was beyond the air conditioned confines of the place into an open area behind the place. One of my early observation was, this is the ideal place to showcase gender equality.

My lack of enthusiasm for loud music and dance was compensated by the arduous efforts of my friends to include me in the merrymaking. This was demonstrated when I was taken into the dancing zone. Total blackout with only the regular flashlights around can make me sympathize with the ones who deal with paparazzi.

My mind instantly compared the scene with a scene of a second class compartment of a Virar bound Mumbai Local. People chose the local out of necessity and this is for merrymaking. The same stench of dried sweat, pushing and shoving of unknown people around you and, the huge woofers and noise making up for the rhythmic simulation of the moving train. The difference is the majority of the crowd of the dark room cannot fathom themselves travelling by train as that’s the idea of fun and not labor. For the ones who commute out of sheer financial necessities can't make out their daily struggle is what rich people do in the name of party.

Neither too skilled, nor drunk and hence not fond of dancing I started craning my neck, adjusting my eyes to the darkness to observe. Some were there to drown the inner voice in the din of the noise, some for a happy occasion or sharing it with some loved ones. Some were there with the sole intention to get coital pleasures as soon as the place calls it a night.

We rung in our friend’s birthday, danced, moved around to just soak in the atmosphere and identify the girls we liked but could never get with.

On the journey back, my questions about the Man Friday for the night made a comeback. Friends were in their own blissful state in the back of the car, talking about the night, fun and banter. I got the opportunity to get answers to my questions. We had time as we had about 3 pit stops to make to drop friends before I and the Man Friday could call it a night. Just at the first stop while alighting to see off, I dished out my first question “Is this the only duty you do?” He politely replied “I also have a full day duty.” For the next few minutes as we were bidding bye which usually lasts in the manner as if the friend is walking into the obscurity of Himalayas when people are inebriated, I was dumbfounded about when does the driver sleep.

As soon as back in the car, I broached the topic again with him. This time asking “When Do You Sleep?” he almost unwillingly said in chaste Hindi, “Mil jaata hai 2-3 ghanta raat ko.” (get about 2-3 hours late in the night). Out of unbridled curiosity I asked his age and he said its 58.

My mind went into a tizzy that while at 24 I feel too pushed on the days I put in long hours and become quite irritable at the end of it, here is a 58 year old man happily working a double shift which clocks almost 16-18 hours a day on an average which is still very high than the day I really work long. I kept mum for a while.

He broke the silence politely by telling me “Abhi bahut kuch karna baaki hai, do baccho ko padhana hai, ek IPS de raha hai Allahabad se aur dusra Singreni mein Mining Engineering kar raha hai. Hostel aur sab ka kharcha hota hai. Ek naukri mein kahaan aaj ke time mein guzaara hota hai.” (I still have lot of unfulfilled tasks at hand. I have to provide for the education of my two sons, one is doing his IPS (Indian Police Service) from Allahabad and the other studying Mining Engineering from Singreni)

In about two lines this aspiration filled man put millions like me to shame. In about an hour I could see the vast sea between the haves and the have nots. We(atleast me) go so far, read books, gather knowledge for inspiration, to overcome failures, to learn the strategies to achieve and digest success, whereas here I saw a burning example of dogged perseverance.

The night turned out to make me remember this unparalleled gentleman from the holy town of Allahabad in UP, India who in just about few polite lines gave me just about the tonic I needed. At 3 am in the morning we both were grateful, I for knowledge and he for his tip which I gave him as Guru Dakshina as Knowledge is never accepted for free. With a folded hand Namaskar I bade Mr. Dubey night.