Human "Beings" - 4 :: Karma Yogi AMAVASAI

Dear All

In this post, I am going to give a glimpse of a man with a strange name (amavasai) - a gardener whom I knew from childhood AND who passed away 5 - 6 years back as a ripe old man.

Extremely sincere to his work, I had lessons of "job satisfaction" from him at my very young age AND not just me - the whole of our family adore him for his sheer personality. It is not that this man was working for our family alone - he had a band of families in chromepet area who loved and respected him. He remained as a free lance gardener for close to 50 years of his adult life until death.

He had so much pride about his profession and was more an artist than just a gardener. Living in an independent house those days ('80s) we needed him every month for weeding out and cleaning up the garden. Every time, at the end of day long work, he insist us to go around and look at his "performance" and he accompanies us with a wide grin on his face (he remained tooth - less ever since I remember him !!). He expects a warm appreciation each and every time and we never mind giving it whole hearted - as we understood that words meant much more to him than the wages that we pay for this gentleman.

This man lived in chitlapakkam, did not drink thru' out his life (though he was fond of BEEDI) and carried an air of heroism about himself. Out of his own wages, he was able to buy a piece of land and get all his 3 sons an independent thatched roof - homes lined up in front of his own house. Till the end of his life, he did not depend on his sons - all of whom - to his dismay - got their livelihood in constructing occupation. He had an air of pride about his own gardening profession and despised his sons for what they got ended up into....very typical of him !!

It might be bit difficult to believe that his whole life got over within a space of 8 square kilometres as he never travelled any where out of his domain - walking all by himself to the home of his clients (like us) who always waited for him. When he reached a stage when he could no longer work, he still reached us once a month and got his "pension" from us and got back to his home at the end of the day. He never asked for money even during this phase and it is really emotional experience for any one who watches his body language when he takes the money "without working"....and his humiliation about losing his stamina. {I remember he used to still help us with little chores in sitting position - though he was not able to work in garden}. When we have leisure time, it is always a wonderful experience to listen to him and his heroic tales of past.... which never bores him - particularly on his achievement on how daringly he bought the piece of land taking 100 % loan from all his well wishers.....!!

Such people who remain single minded about their work never leave our psyche and slip out our admiration. For that matter, when ever I see people committed to their work - particularly doing blue collar jobs, I still get reminded about AMAVASAI - who according to me is a true Karma Yogi. I feel these people - without a word or emotion - keep challenging the materialistic ways of modern world immersed in too much of technology.

Dedicating this post to the millions and millions of nameless karmayogis who steer the country - though they are unaware - but just don't care - about it.....!!

{it is a good co-incidence that the gentle man that I talked about had a name that meant "not in lime light"}

Love // Suren