Three Wise Men

I have always believed that the general insurance industry in India has always been run by people with mediocre to low intelligence quotient. So expecting any gyan from people working here, is not what one expects. However, in the course of last couple of weeks, I encountered three gentlemen from the insurance broking fraternity who, also over the years, have turned into good friends and taught me a survival lesson or two in these tough times that we find ourselves in today.

“Ajit bhai, Janamdin Mubarak ho! How are you doing my friend?”

Thanks Sibesh bhai. It is good to hear from you. All is well. Sab badhiya hai.

Ajit, I have known you for almost forty years since school and college when we were together. There is something solid in your voice…ekdum kadak hai…and makes one feel that truly all is good. How come you manage to evoke such positivity and confidence with so much bad happening all around?

Arrey bhai, just look at all the things you have and that will change your perspective. Firstly, we are fortunate to have a roof over our heads. Secondly, we are still getting our monthly salaries on time every month, so there is food on the table for all. And finally, we have our hands, head and legs all functioning reasonably well….aur kya chahiye?

I paused for a moment to think what my friend had just said. He had given a new definition of the world. With the television anchors shouting through every channel that shit is happening all around from politics to filmdom, from corona to vaccine, here was someone telling me in simple language that All iij well. Ajit slightly modified the age old dictum of roti-kapda-makaan (food, clothing and shelter) to roti- sehat- makaan (food, health and shelter). Come to think of it, what more do you want?

                                                               Ajit with the Maestro

Thanks Ajit for telling me, you’ve got all.

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With all travel at a standstill, we have downloaded all possible applications which allow us to travel anywhere, anytime. I have with me frequent flyer programs of Zoom, WebEx, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Google Duo and a few more digital airlines. I wish they had invented loyalty programs and linked the miles to be redeemed with home deliveries of pizza, cakes and coffee….some of us would then have been promoted from Sliver to Gold and then to Platinum Card holders, based on usage, allowing us more benefits like Urban Clap haircuts and extra 50% off on Big Billion Day online sale. Anyway, that is not the exotic idea I wish to share but another instance of a dialogue with an insurance broker, based out of Surat, whom we connected as part of our so called ‘engagement program’.

Namaskaar Khatri ji. Kaise hain? Hope you are doing good.

Thank you. Sab badhiya hai.

And as the conversation started on the general things before warming up to the more business talk, our man popped up a question which taught me my lesson number two.

“Sen Saab, tell me the positive things about the pandemic situation?”

No one had asked me such a question but surely there were a few positives I could easily talk about.

“I have been eating healthy in these five months. Before the pandemic, my hectic travel, within the city and outside, would entail eating everywhere from lounges, canteen, complimentary hotel breakfast, lunch meetings, midday snacks, dinners with colleagues and partners, not to mention the home deliveries. But now, it is all good home cooked food and I have shed almost six solid kilos of excess weight. I am also waiting to do the other regular tests to check my vitals and, hopefully, the cholesterol level is now within the acceptable limits. I have also taken to morning yoga, something I could never get myself to do earlier. That to me has been the one biggest positive. Then there are other good things like being able to spend more time with my wife enjoying the movies and serials on Amazon Prime, Netflix and Disney Hotstar. Those couple of hours of togetherness, even though peppered with some late evening official calls and mails to attend, is a huge stress buster. Yes, there are many positives to this changed way of life as well.”

“For me, Sen Saab, the pandemic has shown me and possibly all of us, how much money we really need to live.”

This statement really got me thinking once again. How true? With multiple credit and debit cards in the wallet, how many did I use in the last few months? With no travel happening, no visits to the malls and movies, we have started living within our means and things that are there with us. All we have invested in, perhaps, is a better WiFi connection and no other gadget. The only clothes we now wear are shorts and T-shirts and semi-formals. The formals are all lying in the cupboard untouched since that fateful day of 22^nd March 2020. So many festivals have come and gone and some more are coming shortly and yet we are not jumping to the juicy offers of 50% off that are flashing from our phone and social media screens. Today, I actually needed to check my secret diary to recollect the ATM pin before going there again wearing my surgical gloves and mask. There is no reason good enough to celebrate and swipe the cards to buy things.The joy of buying is lost. The joy of spending and splurging is lost.  All we do now, possibly, is buy essentials like fruits, vegetables and toiletries that will take us from one weekend to another and no more. If this is the life I could lead, then why crave for more? With so many known people getting affected and also falling down, life seems frail and full of surprises and unpredictable. So then why am I in this rat race? Most important question we all need to answer, how much do you need to live our lives?

Thanks Khatri ji for telling me how much is enough. Thoda hai, thode ki zaroorat hai…

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The third wise man is truly a man of all seasons. On weekends, he will send six to seven comic strips of Lockhorns, Beetle Bailey, Hagar the Horrible, Dennis the Menace, Garfield, Dilbert and Calvin and Hobbes. But the reason for my adding Sats in the list of people who gave a meaning to life is not because of these forwards but the way he ends the day daily around 8.00pm, musically and poetically. Sats sends out a song to me and it is not just any random song. Each song has a co-relation to the day he is sharing like the singer’s or the music director’s birthday or anniversary. Each song is accompanied with a short note where Sats pours his love out for the song, the singer, the movie and even pronounces his dislike for none other than Queen of Melody. He writes those lines as if Sahir Ludhianvi were writing his lyrics with a glass in his hands….in fact Sats tells you whether he is drinking Black Dog or Glenfiddich…as he types the lines of the night….but never to miss a comma or an exclamation mark! Here’s one of his last verse for you to appreciate what I said:

“I am early in your box this evening, the night is still a distance away. But I rush, for at 8.30pm, I intend to immerse myself with Mukhtar & Co (some musical) with a single malt in hand. Why single malt? Because, peene waalon ko peene ka bahaana chahiye…and today I have a reason….in fact, for a while now, I have also been contemplating Jagjit Singh- isn’t a song by him long overdue? And therefore, I grab this opportunity. Raising a celebratory toast to Shabana Azmi on her birthday! A stunning powerhouse of talent, from a time when film makers were masters of their craft. This song, today, is from the 1982 beauty, Arth, directed by Mahesh Bhatt (always a man who loved to be in the middle of controversy) and starring two powerful lady protagonists- Shabana and Smita Patil. And Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Raj Kiran. The music and singing is by Jagjit Singh, lyrics by her dad, Kaifi Azmi himself…Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar…She comes alive on camera without saying one word. What an actress…Just watch!

And along with it comes the film clip of the song.

Wonder how a man can write every day after doing so much research and putting so much love into those lines….he too can’t be having a great day every day….he too must have his worries at work and home…and yet here is a man who brightens up the evening. I, not only enjoy the music and the power of Sats’ pen, but also make sure to send out the post to a couple of friends and groups….at least a hundred more - to enjoy the power of this man’s creation. Incidentally, many of them believe that I am the creator despite my vehemently denying and sending out multiple clarifications. So what did Sats teach me…passion…love…when you love something you will find time for it and words and actions will follow…the more you love something, the sweeter the creation becomes, for you pour in loads of love and sweetness. And more importantly, here is a man not only enjoying music but unknowingly making evenings and nights of hundreds of people so much better. Hats off Sats!

Thanks Sats…for the music and the joy it brings to troubled lives.

Before I close for the day, I must share what Sats told me yesterday. He said all Indian Gods are the best insurance salesmen, Shiva being the ultimate. They promise and sell the All Risks insurance policies or Sarva Jokhim Bima as you would translate it into Hindi to their disciples but leave a small exclusion clause or two hidden somewhere in fine print which is later used to deny claims. Take for instance, Hiranyakashyapa. He was granted a boon that neither man nor woman would kill him, neither will he die during day nor at night, no man or god will ever destroy him….he was given almost All Risks cover. The Gods then created the exclusion clause called Narasimha who was half man and half lion and who kills Hiranyakashyapa at the twilight hour. Claim of invincibility denied! The other fascinating tale is of Bhasmasur, the demon, who got the boon, once again from Shiva, for all the austerities the demon had performed. According to the boon, anyone on whose head Bhasmasur were to put his right hand, he would turn to ashes. Bhasmasur created quite a scare till Vishnu created an exclusion clause hidden in the form of Mohini who entices Bhasmasur and agrees to marry him provided he dances the way she would do. And during the dance, she puts her right hand on her head and the demon does the same….willful misconduct as the marine insurer in me would pronounce….claim denied…demon demolished!

So please do not go out looking for Godmen and Gurus in the caves of Himalayas or the serene climes of Haridwar and Bangalore, they live among us….all you need is to seek and you shall find!

SS