“Once upon a time, there used to be this particular rickshaw puller near our home in Calcutta…”
Okay, this might not be an apt beginning, but you would agree that this beginning is something we all began our reading with. Also, Calcutta is something different from Kolkata and we use plurals there for singular references. So, let’s just continue with it for now...
So our rickshaw dude used to park his blue rickshaw on his favorite spot on the road next to my house and slept on the shabby pavement nearby. There was a stand not very far where other rickshaw pullers used to park and chill but clearly he was a loner. The catch was- he was nowhere like the usual grey dull and shabby rickshaw pullers you usually encounter in our city. Probably in his forties, this dude wore an old but neon and orange clown wig, even a tattered T-shirt with a tie design along his neck. To add to the flamboyant appearance, he had a wireless blue JBL speaker with him. Perhaps, he bought a second hand piece for a dime. Perhaps, he stole one from somewhere. It doesn’t matter, coz he seemed quite possessive with that box. Almost similar to how we hold close our expensive toys.
By now, you must be wondering how unemployed I must have been to be observing a rickshaw puller. Let’s just park this question for another day. So I had to pass by his spot almost everyday when I move out of the house. It's probably been 2 years since but there's something about him that I cannot forget.
Perhaps the vibrancy that he derived from life was extraordinary. The amount of joy that he derived from listening to 90s music on his little speaker after a brutal day was a sight to watch. It reminded me how little our real wants are. And how easy it is to be grateful and savor life. Unlike most of his counterparts, he doesn't need alcohol or abuses to doze off. Maybe, he sees the glass as not just half full but also half sparkling.
In this age of insecurities and inhibitions, a person who struggles to provide for two square meals, goes about his monotonous and harsh life with so much exuberance that you are almost shocked.
He indeed was the richest man in town.
