Once there was a girl and during her break time at the office, she stepped out to grab some food and ended up near a samosa vendor. The old man standing there warmly prepared some hot samosas forher. As soon as the girl saw the samosa, sherudely addressed the elderly man, saying, “Hey old man, add some chutney, will your father do it?”
Despite the girl’s disrespectful behavior, the old man, with a gentle tone, said, “I’m sorry, I forgot. Let me add the chutney for you.” He added chutney to the samosas, and both of them got engrossed in eating. Meanwhile, the old man noticed the girl’s mobile phone and asked, “What kind of phone is this that you have in your hand?”
With a haughty attitude, the girl replied, “This is an iPhone. Do you know how much it costs? It’s a hundred thousand rupees. Why are you asking?” The old man responded, “My son has been insisting on getting a phone. I am thinking of buying him a phone like this as well.” Hearing this, both of them burst into laughter and mocked the old man.
The girl retorted, “Look, the old man wants an iPhone. Your son desires it, but his wish won’t remain just a wish. You don’t have time to come here. Providing samosas at your cart deteriorates our standard. Thank you,” the old man humbly thanked her.
He then said, “Do this, buy your son a cheap Nokia phone that costs around ten to eleven thousand rupees. It will serve the purpose and won’t burden your budget. Consider your situation before you go for the iPhone.” The girl had crossed all limits with her impertinence.
She retorted, “You, old man, should spread your bedsheet and stretch your feet on it, or else your feet will go beyond the sheet.” This reply shook the old man, but he remained calm and said, “Madam, you work in a big company, but you lack the etiquette to speak. You forgot that firewood has also come from the forest.”
The girl, now forgetting her arrogance, replied, “You are right. I have come far ahead, but still, do not know how to speak. Look, I am at work, and you are selling samosas. It is necessary for you to come to my cart as there are no other shops around here. Besides, our standard deteriorates if you come to us.”
The old man folded his hands and thanked them. He said, “You have my gratitude, and you come to my shop.” They suggested, “Do this, to appease your son, buy him a simple Nokia phone that you can afford. It will work for you, and you can buy it on installments or a loan. You have shown your circumstances. We will pay you 50,000 rupees monthly,” the old man quipped.
The girl and the old man were taken aback, and embarrassment dawned on them. They left from there, and the old man remarked, “I earn fifty thousand rupees a month. Look at how I come and go on this scooter. See, this car is parked in my company. I come and go on it. How will you manage it?” They left on their respective vehicles.
Through this story, the message to understand is that we should not judge anyone based on their work. It is possible that they might be earning more than us and living a happier life. We should respect and honor people not for their small or big jobs but for their attitude and ethics.
