Do you believe in magic? I don't mean the rabbit pulling top-hatted magician kind.. or the Abracadabra-magic wand-Harry Potter kind.. but the everyday kind of magic that is all around us.. should we choose to see it and recognize it for what it is!
I had a truly "magical experience" yesterday that I'm delighted to share with you..
Someone had to have some important documents collected from my house.. I offered to send them by courier, albeit a tad reluctantly, given the nature of the contents.. My advisor called me saying their office boy Raju would come and pick it up to which I replied that I would leave the envelope with security to be handed over to him at a pre-decided time which was mutually agreeable.
My mobile rang at around that time and when I answered, an incredibly cheerful male voice at the other end said, "Good afternoon.. Pallavi Ma'am bol rahi hain na? Ma'am I am Raju from so-and-so company! Main churchgate station ke paas hoon.. aapka ghar kis taraf hai?" He also explained his location to me very clearly, saying "I am opposite Churchgate station.. Oval Maidan is to my left.. and the ticket booking office is to my right. Where should I come?" I explained to him, told him who to collect the envelope from and that was that (as far as I was concerned.)
As it turned out.. not really! Raju called me back in perhaps five minutes to say, "Ma'am main aapke building ke neeche hoon.. So-and-so ne mujhe aapka envelope diya hai.. Thank you very much Ma'am.. take care of yourself and have a very nice day!" I thanked him conventionally and hung up..
He went on his happy (or otherwise) way and I was GOBSMACKED! For starters, Raju is an office boy.. his take home definitely mustn't have too many zeroes on it.. he's out on the road collecting papers.. dropping them off.. calling people to let them know he's on the way.. or waiting downstairs.. it's SO hot these days.. and inspite of all this, he sounded like he was REALLY happy doing what he was doing! Devotion to duty is one thing.. but to have such a fabulous attitude towards his work.. that was AMAZING to me!
I chose to SEE that a little bit of magic had come by me and didn't want to let it pass unnoticed.. and so I called him back and he answered immediately, "Yes Pallavi Ma'am? Any problem? How can I help you?" I just told him, "You are such a cheerful person and I just wanted to let you know that so many people call me to offer services.. to collect things.. drop things.. but no one has ever been as pleasant as you are! It has been such a pleasure talking to you and I am going to let your boss know this as well!" He thanked me nicely and wished me, "God bless and have a nice day Ma'am."
This is the message I sent his boss :
"Hi So-and-so
Your office boy Raju came to collect the papers some time ago. Obviously I had left the envelope ready downstairs with security.. This message is just to say that I get calls everyday from people offering rendering or confirming a service.. we all do.. BUT..
Raju from your company comes across as an extremely positive enthusiastic pleasant and cheerful person who has a wonderful attitude towards his work! Am sure you know what a fabulous asset you have in him and value him in your organization accordingly! I look forward to a day when I can meet him face to face and thank him personally!
Just thought it was the high point of my day and really wanted to share this with you!"
Needless his boss was very happy.. he told me so and shared the message with him!
My takeaway from this experience was this :
The pandemic is stressful for us all.. and especially more so for some..
Most of us (including me) tend to be impatient, snappy and rude to telemarketers who call.. the poor things are making sometimes 200 calls daily.. or to people who are making feedback calls for appliance purchases or car services.. EVERYONE is fighting a tough battle..
Let's all try and be kind, patient and polite.. and LOOK for the little magical moments in our day.. they are all around us.. we just have to grab them when we see them!
It may not seem like a very special story to you.. but it certainly was to me!!
Amazing indeed
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to what you've written. Appreciation is the best way of gratitude.It doesn't cost a penny but it is priceless for the person receiving it .You have actually not only complimented Raju but boosted his morale in turn his Boss will also value him maybe more .
ReplyDeleteThis will help Raju to remain rather give him an incentive to remain the same. Well done.
It's all about our perception.
ReplyDeleteIt's in your nature love you 😍
May we have more Rajus in the world and be perceptive enough to actually see them, learn from them and pay it forward!
ReplyDeleteWe should all make it a policy not to bark at delivery boys or Telemarketeers !! As you rightly said, Pallu, they’re only doing their job ! And it costs us nothing to be polite and show kindness !
ReplyDeleteI too have an incident that happened early this morning. I called my security guard to complain about a persistent leakage from the floor above. I asked him to go check the upstairs flat too - so he turns around and said, madam, all are not polite like you - they do too much of khitpit !!
Moral of the story - your general behaviour is noted by the opposite person !!
All it takes is a warm demeanour and some kind words to cheer someone up. Raju's buoyant manner brought a smile to your lips and made your day. The fact that you reciprocated by telling his boss and him about your impression of your interaction with him created magic in his life too. Remain blessed
ReplyDeleteWonderful mind detects wonderful people. Happy to be associated with you
ReplyDeleteImpatient will sound beautiful as I'm patient,snappy as happy.jus a little change n life will b beautiful.thanks Pallu for sharing ur thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this positive post. This is what wl take us through these difficult times. Indeed the best part is sharing firstly wth the boss and more importantly with all.Keep passing on the positivity.!!
ReplyDeleteTypically Pallu.
ReplyDeleteBut honestly I totally agree with your thoughts and actions. A little word of kindness and praise go a long way in normal times, and in the current scenario, I am sure they make the day extra special.
Let's change to being more positive in our thoughts and actions and spread some cheer.
This is so beautiful. Your words of appreciation for Raju am sure would have created magical and precious moments for him too which he will cherish forever...Manisha
ReplyDelete