Sunday, January 25, 2009

Spiritual Gyani

Well oiled hairs neatly combed as if every single hair has been personally attended to; a chic white shirt folded up his sleeves and black trousers covering his short and frail physical structure with a smile all over his face; that is how he will come across to you when you meet him; day after day. He is Gyani.... office boy at MPS Technologies-one of my past employers. Why am I writing about him? What has he got to do with me when I have already left MPS more than a year back?
He had caught my imagination ever since I noticed him taking special care of my needs, while I was at MPS. Just a look at Gyani’s face was enough to make him understand my requirements- tea, coffee or water.......Reason, I thought lied in my designation- Head of Accounts....
It is almost 14 months since I left MPS...... yet nothing has changed vis-a-vis Gyani...A telephone call would come to greet me on every occasion- Deepawali, New Year etc. Moment, I step into MPS office, Gyani would come from nowhere with a smile on his face and glass of water in his hands followed by a cup of tea-exactly as per my taste. Why haven’t I been sent into oblivion by Gyani? I ask this question to myself every now and then...Reason was not at all difficult to find..........
I have always respected him for what he is and not what his job was at MPS. I used to lend him my ears whenever he had something to share or complain about. Never did he ask for any special favours or help........So, was Gyani paying me back in his own way for my behaviour towards him? Perhaps he was.......but then there are so many others who never did......So, what separates Gyani from others......
And, I managed to discover the real reason during my recent visit to MPS. I noticed him wearing a badge on his shirt and made an instant enquiry. He told me- it is Lord Krishna and Radha.....my curiosity grew further.....and that is when I came to know about his monthly pilgrimages to Mathura- birthplace of Lord Krishna.......It occurred to me instantly- meagre earnings are not enough to stop someone from pursuing his/her spiritual interests...Gyani’s spirituality was more important to him than the money he earns.
Someone might argue that he is taking those pilgrimages to pray to God for his wishes to come true. Even if he is, then also I beg to differ from those making such arguments for one simple reason- purity of his belief.
That one discovery brought me face to face with real but invisible Gyani- a deeply spiritual person who could create connections and bonds with people just on the strength of his faith in God. His spirituality gave him access to a never ending source of love and affection from where he could draw at will...
No wonder- “Gyani” means “knowledgeable.” Despite his lack of formal education, his understanding of spirituality and its power makes him more knowledgeable than anyone claiming to be so.

8 comments:

Hashir said...

@Alok,
I like the way you connect with people and situations which most of us would have encountered and ignored.
you have got yourself one more follower :)
Regards,
Hashir

Khushi said...

Brilliant sir :)

Chetan said...

good

j k said...

Absolute delight to read the post, i m humbled by your raw writing skills and the icon you chose to represent faith.

Carolyn R. Parsons said...

How wonderful...I feel the love from his heart shine through in his words...how beautiful he is and so steadfast in his truth, never wavering, always sure...aww to have such peace...and we all can, we just have to know.

Breeze

♥ Braja said...

Nice, Alok...I lived in Vrindavan for a long time too, in the Mathura District...where Radha and Krishna rule :)

Satish Bisht said...

Alok, I once read an article somewhere by Ruskin Bond about a cobbler who use to sit by road side in Mussoorie & Ruskin Bond would pass that site every day during his evening walks. One fine day the cobbler was missing & Ruskin checked with people in the vicinity only to find out that the guy was dead. Ruskin was not related to this guy in any way but he still got very emotional about the fact that someone who had invariably become part of his life as one of the people/ places/ things that the writer would observe as a routine.
What a tribute it was to a common man, been written about by a world famous writer, expressing his grief over the sad demise despite the fact that there was nothing to connect the two individuals.
Alok, the feelings with which that article was written left a long lasting impression on my mind & now it is this.

Bhavana said...

This is such a lovely piece. It is beautiful to see how you honour these everyday people in your blog--people who are often invisible and unknown and yet who hold life with incredible grace and elegance. I honor your spiritual Gyani--he truly is one and you too, for being able to see him for what he is...

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