Hindi proverb in heartistry

Sometimes your best intentions are not received well. Or maybe they are just not understood well at that moment.

How does one then navigate through those scenarios?

Do we allow ourselves to get hurt or do we reframe our interpretation of the incident in a wiser and more expansive manner?

I believe in heartistry. It’s about bringing all of our heart element to what we do.

For some, it’s easy and natural and at other times we have to do it very consciously and with lot of intentional effort.

And I also believe in encouraging such heartists by recognising and appreciating their effort. I do that by pinning a stuffed cloth heart badge on to their lapels. These stuffed heart badges are made by a special set of women from Gujarat and I get them through my friends Meghna Banker and, Rahul Hasija.

I have written a post to that effect in the past. Here’s the link to that: Are You a Heartist? https://sreekr.blogspot.com/2022/06/are-you-heartist-my-100th-blog.html

And then today I came across Arun who went about cleaning the gents toilet near the book shop in the T3 terminal in the Delhi airport with a smile on his face while humming some peppy tune along.

Mind you this was at 4.15 am today and I am sure he must have been in the long night shift.

I could also see the sparkle in his eyes as he went about his job while I waited for my turn.

But then, as I was about to pin this badge on him, he politely refused and said he doesn’t need it.

I was a little surprised as people haven’t refused it in the past and also because he seemed genuinely in a good mood while doing his job.

Nevertheless I moved on as my boarding time had neared and I had a long walk to gate number 50.

But as I moved on, I tried to guess the reason.

Could it be that he has such a strong internal frame of reference that he believes he doesn’t need any kind of external appreciation and validation for a good job done?

He also seemed to veer more towards the sorting by others type of a meta programme which explained his courteous behaviour towards the passengers in the toilet while doing a job that people won’t usually take up as a matter of privilege, honour and choice.

And yet it was perplexing for me to understand why he returned the badge to me.

Or could it be plain and simple that he didn’t understand the significance of what I was trying to do for him?

One would never know.

As I walked on after taking the photo of this badge I happened to remember the famous Hindi proverb: Daaney, daaney pe likha hai khaney waley ka naam.

And I wondered if it was the same when it came to these badges as well?

Well, the badge and I move on, waiting for the person whose name is destined on it.

Sohum.

😌😌🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽