When a stranger made me question my outlook towards life

Life lesson from a rickshaw driver

On the way back from our trip to Jammu and Kashmir early this year, we (me, my husband, and our four-year-old daughter) had three to four hours to kill in Delhi before our next train. We thought better to utilize those and go for a bit of sightseeing.

From outside the station, we took an auto-rickshaw for our little expedition. The driver was an exceptionally cheerful person with a friendly demeanor named Manoj.

On our way, Manoj told us that he was from Bihar — a not so rich state in eastern India, with the highest rate of migrant workers i.e. people from Bihar go to other states in pursuit of work and end up working mostly at construction sites on daily wages or as taxi/auto-rickshaw drivers to sustain. Manoj was living with a few of his friends on rent in Delhi. He had his family in Bihar and met them twice a year.

As we reached Rashtrapati Bhavan, we were told that vehicles are not allowed within two kilometers and that we had to walk from there. I got nervous hearing that (as I did not want to leave my stuff with a stranger) and started picking up the bags hastily to carry along, with half a mind of dropping the idea of the trip altogether.

While I was discussing my dilemma with my husband, Manoj (guessing the situation) came up to us and said “Please go out without any worry madam. God has been very kind to me and has provided me with everything that I need. Nothing will happen to your bags. You go ahead and enjoy your visit.”

After hearing this, we decided to trust him and went ahead leaving behind our bags. After almost an hour, when we came back Manoj was there with a big smile on his face, waving at us.

The rest of the trip went great knowing the fact that we were traveling with an honest man whom we could trust. We got to know a lot more about Manoj. He told us that the autorickshaw did not belong to him and that he had to pay around twenty-five percent of his daily earnings to the owner of the autorickshaw. After considering the rent of his room and the daily expenditures of food, gas, etc. his earnings came to around 15 to 20k rupees per month i.e. around $250 per month, a big part of which he used to send to his family in Bihar.

Hearing all this and remembering his words of gratitude earlier, I was amazed at his attitude towards life. How this joyful man in front of me, who had so little, had no complaints at all! How he so humbly appreciated and praised God for providing him with everything, while toiling every day to meet ends and provide for his family. And here were we, two IT professionals who earn a decent living, have so many luxuries, but still are never satisfied. Every day we find ourselves complaining about things we don’t have, always wanting more.

This total stranger made me rethink my attitude towards things and made me ask this question to myself “If someone comes and asks me, has God provided you with everything”, will my answer be a yes?

When we said our goodbyes, I asked him to call us if he was ever in need of anything. To which he smiled his big smile and wished us a good rest of the journey. I was deeply touched by his humility, his attitude, and his spirit.

I often find myself thinking about Manoj and his words of wisdom. They inspire me and help me restrain my undue desires. His words remind me that it’s not the things which I don’t have that make me feel miserable, it’s NOT realizing and appreciating what I already have. If I keep focusing on things I have yet to achieve and obtain, how will I ever be able to enjoy the life that I have already built? Manoj reminds me to count my blessings and be grateful for everything that already exists around me.

During the lockdown (because of Covid-19) in India, many migrant workers lost their jobs and had to travel back to their hometowns. We called up Manoj, worried about his well being, and found that he was back at his home in Bihar. When we asked if he needed some monetary help considering he had lost his job, his answer was a resounding no and that he was doing good and had resumed farming with his family.

Related posts:

The US Department of Justice led by Attorney General Bill Barr on Oct. 20, 2020 filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google accusing it of monopolistic practices. What is interesting about this lawsuit…

10 Lessons About Public Relations I Wish I Knew Sooner. Writing numerous headlines is a good practice, and stops you from choosing the first thing that comes to mind..

Death is a part of life. Although that might sound very cynical, it’s something that is inevitable. However, if it is inevitable, why can it be so difficult to process? Is it because losing that…