A real life Jayeshbhai Jordaar

There was a film by the title Jayeshbhai Jordaar. While the idea was great, it wasn't executed greatly.

But I just met one real life Jayesh who was indeed jordaar!!

I believe those who serve also need to be served and hence often I would enquire with the waiters in the restaurants, nurses and janitors in hospitals if they have had their meals before serving us. Sadly, often times the answer is 'no'.

There is a mixture of sadness and a smile on their face as they tell me the answer.

I then encourage them to go and have their meals on time. Sometimes I even offer a hug to some of the waiters and servers. Sometimes I have ordered a meal or a dessert for them and then moved on quietly.

I usually don't write about it but today I am inspired and feeling expanded to write about the young bearded Jayesh I just met at the small restaurant I went to have my breakfast. It's my regular joint whenever I visit this city.

While I was having my standard Idli, chutney and sambaar, he came in like any other regular customer and placed his order. Nothing unusual about it but what then caught my attention was when he asked the order taker if he had his breakfast!!

It brought a wide smile on my face.

He wasn't done yet.

A little later, the conversation between some of us customers and the people at the restaurant turned to the repeated action of the municipal corporation which has ensured that there are no tables and chairs outside this line of small restaurants for customers to enjoy their meals.

Being an ex lawyer and a bit of an entrepreneur myself, I told the senior order taker to get the local traders association to petition the municipal corporation and help it understand the discomfort the current action is causing and find a middle ground for all the stakeholders.

The order taker said that they are working on it.

I went back to eating my Idlis and that's when Jayesh who was sitting on the small bench adjacent to the counter asked me to sit down and enjoy the meal. I don't know if it was the grey hair on my head that prompted him to be kind.

I politely refused as I have an unhealed bruise on my knee which makes it bit difficult for me to sit.

But I thanked him and as I was finishing my meal, my memory and a suggestion from the book How Full Is Your Bucket? by Dr. Donald Clifton - the legendary father of #strengthspsychology and the inventor of #CliftonStrengths assessment and his grandson Tom Rath became alive and I decided to offer Jayesh a hug after my meal.

Jayesh's eyes followed me as I stepped out to drop the bio-degradable plate made of palm trees, in the bin. By now, the counter was crowded.

I came back and asked his name and told him all that I had seen him do and said that as a mark of appreciation and gratitude I wanted to offer him a hug.

He just beamed and took me into a warm embrace and wished me a good day.

Like my colleague and friend Dr. Deepika Dabke says, "What gets recognised, gets repeated" and like my other colleague and friend Henna Sharma says "What gets appreciated, appreciates."

I quietly turned around and walked back to my room knowing that I had fulfilled at least today's quota of my practice called P.A.G.A.L-panti.