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?