Earning Bread

Contributor: Rachit Sharma

A mother at Sixty six, when I first saw her juggling the paranthas, struggling with the tea and a bunch of impatient customers with an affectionate smile, I knew this mother will help me finding my food. This one excursion has dwarfed the previous experiences, the task wouldn't have been what it was if food was not involved. When they asked us to 'earn' the bread, quick advent of some strategies and tactics was natural to mind. 

My blessing was my employer who an hour ago was extremely hesitant to tell me any work and now this mother was unfolding every chapter of her life with an innocence of a child. She tells she had been a mother to her siblings right from her childhood, she had sacrificed her education, begged at Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, did odd jobs, all to get her younger sister and brother a life they desired. Now they are well settled with their families, little they think about this poor soul. She succeeded in making them successful but failed for herself. She has stopped expecting from others. "I took care of my parents, nurtured my siblings, nursed my husband who lost his eyes" she says while holding back the tears. "But now I work day and night to fulfill every wish of my daughter, she's my only reason to live" and the tears fall leaving some hope to shine through. She gets everything her little princess asks for. She doesn't spend even a penny on herself, wears her husband's shoes as she doesn't feel like buying herself a new pair of sandals. 

I'm glad at the end of the task, it did not remain a mere task, I did not culminate any entrepreneurial ideas, I could not measure the quantity of food that I was bringing back but what I had achieved was an experience of lifetime as I'm going to hold on to the soul I had just touched.

It was ironic that some minutes back we were discoursing about economic terms like poverty, scarcity, inadequate/unequal distribution of resources and minutes later here I was in the  middle of Amritpuri making paranthas in a tea stall, serving teas to the labourers, mopping tables with all my efficiency. I was on the other side of the table, I'll be lying if I would say I didn't feel a little amount of thwack from the other side. With a very serious face a man asked me to put more oil on his parantha, I tried to reason him how it is not good for his health with a smile but all in vain. He's paying money and wants what he's asking. Fair Enough.

We were on an emotional journey that always stay with us but could only be told when there's a heart to listen, not just some ears to hear. Her persistence inspired me, struggles can slow you down but a strong spirit like this can never lose hope. That strong will and perseverance  will always be a guiding force. While returning I touched her feet like a good son, she packed paranthas and dal like a concerning mother. I know that I'll go back to make paranthas again as I have adopted a responsibility for my life.

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