SOLITARY PERFORMERS

A few weeks back I visited an Ayyappa temple to pay fee for a special Pooja on behalf of a colleague, who was away from Chennai.  As I waited for my turn in the queue at the counter, I noticed that the temple was bustling with activity.  There were more visitors, as it was the annual Sabarimala pilgrimage season.

December-January is literally the music season in Chennai, the cultural capital of India.  Every Sabha (Society) big and small and temples take pride in organizing Kutcheris (music and dance concerts) during this period and artistes – established and budding, long to perform during this season.  Music lovers from all over the world storm Chennai during these months and enjoy hopping from one Sabha to another, attending concerts.  It is also a peak business period for all associated industries.  While some halls are jam-packed with audience, many are not. 

The Sabarimala pilgrimage season coincides with the Chennai music season and hence a Kutcheri was arranged in the Ayyappa temple in reference.  A stage was setup near the sales counter and carpets spread on the floor for the audience.  On that day, an elderly person was singing on the stage.  He had no accompanists – not even a Tanpura player.  Though not an accomplished artiste, he sang very well.  He was very focused, confident and apparently enjoyed.  Though there were a few hundred people inside the temple, sadly nobody seemed to be interested in his performance.  An old fashioned lady was the only audience.  May be she is his partner.  She held a small basket with a flask and a bottle of water.  She too was disinterested in the performance and gazed at the queue and the other activities taking place in the temple.  I felt very sad for the artiste performing on the stage.  I wondered, what motivates such people to perform with great involvement in the absence of recognition, acknowledgement, appreciation or rewards.

We recently received the following message from our Chief Executive about “Excellence”. 

A German once visited a temple under construction in India where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need two statues of the same idol?" "No" said the sculptor without looking up, "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage." The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage. "Where is the damage?" he asked. "There is a scratch on the nose of the idol." said the sculptor, still busy with his work. The German asked "Where are you going to install the idol?"

The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high. "If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?" the gentleman asked. The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said; two people know it, "Myself and GOD."

The desire to perfection & excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not.

"Excellence" is a drive from inside, not outside.

Excellence is not for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction and efficiency.

The message was not just motivating, but also was an answer to my doubt about what motivates those who excel.  Not just the artistes, but many persons including newspaper boys, milkmen, servant maids, postmen, sweepers, cleaners, teachers, nurses, doctors, engineers, scientists, traffic policemen, pilots, drivers and many others are solitary performers in their own ways and are self-driven, who even in the absence of appreciation or recognition perform their job so well, which results in the smooth functioning of this world.  Can we imagine a world without them?

Message from MSK – a tribute

“NEVER CLOSE A DOOR WITH A BANG, YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE TO REOPEN IT” – were the words written on the door of MSK’s office, I was told by my seniors, when I started working.

Sri M.S.Krishnamurthy or MSK, as he was fondly called was the founder-director of Citadel Fine Pharmaceuticals, with which I was associated for more than a decade.  By the time I had started working MSK had retired and visited our office occasionally.  Though he was not involved in the day-to-day operations, he monitored funds flow and primary sales regularly.  He took my help in compilation of data and typing reports.  Unlike his contemporaries, he was tech-savvy.  Every time he visited, he learnt something new or taught us something new.   

Sometimes, he also sought my help in typing his personal letters.  On such occasions, he brought the necessary stationery including letterheads, envelopes, postage stamps and acknowledgement cards etc. If I had to send the letters by courier service, he immediately paid cash for the service.  Though he was one of the Directors, he never allowed office stationery to be used for his personal work.  He always checked if I had any other important work before assigning work. He wrote the letters in longhand on rough sheets and insisted that I read his script aloud to ensure that I understood the contents before I started typing.  The letters were always interesting.  They were mostly addressed to Bank Managers for wrong credits/debits, to Companies for non-receipt of dividend warrants, to Corporation Officials for bad maintenance of roads, to electricity department for power fluctuations, to consumer forums complaining about guarantees and warrantees etc.    From him I have learnt, of many things, handling personal finance meticulously. 

A thorough gentleman and an epitome of simplicity, he spoke only when required. He once asked me, if I own a pet and gave a photocopy of a newspaper clipping and requested that I share it with my friends.  I didn’t have friends with whom I could share it and so kept it in my drawer and it remained there for several years.  This newspaper clipping was one of the few things I carried with me, when I left the organization subsequent to an external reconstruction. 

A connoisseur of arts, animal activist, botanical enthusiast, a man with great scientific temper and a successful businessman - MSK passed away in his sleep on the early hours of 6^th January 2012, after living 88 years of principled, disciplined and contended life.

As a tribute, I am sharing the contents from the newspaper clipping he requested me to share with my friends:

New Haven Register, Saturday, July 13, 1996 Page C9

ANN LANDERS’ COLUMN

Question:  Dear Ann Landers:  I am enclosing a poem for all those people who drop their dogs and cats off in the country, hoping they will find another home.  These people should know there are alternatives to abandoning a pet, Maybe this poem will make a difference – Lorna, a Stars and Stripes Reader

Dear Lorna, Thank you on behalf of all pet owners.  I agree that it is not only thoughtless, but cruel to drop a pet off on the highway, hoping someone will pick it up.  Your contribution is sure to make a difference.

A Dog Sits Waiting by Kathy Flood

A dog sits waiting in the cold autumn sun

Too faithful to leave, too frightened to run

He’s been here for days now with noting to do

But sit by the road, waiting for you

He can’t understand why you left him that day

He thought you and he were stopping to play

He’s sure you’ll come back and that’s why he stays

How long will he suffer?  How many more days?

His legs have grown weak; his throat’s parched and dry

He’s sick now from hunger and falls, with a sigh

He lays down his head and closes his eyes

I wish you could see how a waiting dog dies

Please share this poem with your friends as a mark of respect to the departed soul!