Hello Dear Readers!!!!
It gives me immense pleasure in writing my first article in this Blog as the Editor, and I hope I can do at least half as much as what my Sister, the Author, has done over time through her articles in this Blog.
So, let's begin!
In our childhood, one thing that literally everyone of us would've invariably done is to listen to stories. As kids, we were told many stories by various people, the purpose of telling the stories ranging from making us eat to try and lull us to sleep. And some other stories were told just for the sake of telling them, maybe in what we had as 'story time'. So, in this story time, we all would remember listening to 'Moral Stories'. These were short, enthralling stories that had a simple moral at the end, like "Honesty is the best policy". And yes, we can never deny the role of these moral stories in shaping the very very basic values in our hearts that we still hold close to us.
However, are moral stories meant only for kids? Is it only the children who need to learn moral values from stories? As we grow up, the stories that we listened to in our childhood begin to become boring for us. And hence, having understood the morals told by them fully, we stop listening to such stories. But then, the more fundamental question arises. Are morals meant to be learnt only in childhood? In other words, are there no morals left for us to learn when we grow? Yes. You're right. You very well know that the answer is no. The morals and principles that we need to learn have no limit, and in a sense, the entire life itself is a learning journey.
So, while trying to learn new morals as we grow up, why not we resort to the tried and tested method of listening to moral stories? Shall we now? *wink*
Once upon a time (Ah! The joy of reminiscing this monotonous beginning!), there lived a baker. He was very devoted to his profession, so much so that he would begin his daily work only after offering prayers to his oven. His bakery items didn't have a very wide range, but whatever limited baking he did, he did with utmost sincerity and passion. All his bakery products, such as buns, cakes, bread, muffins, etc. contained 3 basic flavors - vanilla, chocolate and caramel. Such was the taste of his baking that all the items would fly off the counter. And thus, despite being a very benevolent man and charging less from customers whom he knew were from a poorer background, his business was going on well, and he lived a happy life.
One fine day, a magnificent hotel came into existence in the vacant plot opposite to the baker's shop. This hotel was headed by a great chef, who'd got his culinary skills fine tuned at universities in Australia, and had come back to his motherland in order to explore his innovative cooking and employ his skills using native ingredients. Almost once in two days, the chef would come up with a new innovative dish, completely made out of local raw materials. This mode of cooking gave the people pride, and the taste of the food made them throng the hotel. They all loved every single sweet, savoury item, and meal that was offered at the hotel. Within no time, the hotel became a huge success.
Quite obviously, the immense growth of the hotel hit the sales of the baker. His sales declined rapidly, and after a period of time, it actually began affecting his finances. Although he was never a money oriented man, maintenance of basic needs of life was no longer an easy task for him. But what affected him more was the decline in customers, and not the money lost due to their absence. However, there was one man who was a very consistent customer for the baker, and soon, as time would show, he became his ONLY customer. The baker, being such a dutiful and professional man, did his job without complaining. And the customer was none other than the chief chef of the hotel himself!!
Every evening, the chef would come to the bakery, and eat whatever he wanted to. He would pay for it, and simply go off, only to return the next evening. Time went by. There was a steady increase in the hotel's business, and a steep decline in that of the baker's.
One day, the baker's tolerance reached a limit. He never felt bitter towards the chef, and the quality of his baking was as good as ever. Yet, he was madly curious as to why such a great chef should bother to come to his shop in order to eat bakery items. So, the baker confronted the chef. He asked, "Son, you own a million dollar business in the hotel. Your innovations know no bounds. Yet, why do you come here everyday to eat my products?". To this, the chef calmly placed an order for another muffin, and asked, "Why shouldn't I?". This flustered the baker, and he said, "Look, I'm perfectly ok with selling my products to you. But the fact that you have the audacity to order the very same bakes that have lost their sales because of your hotel frustrates me". The chef slowly munched his muffin down fully before enquiring the old man, "Would you mind paying a visit to the bank with me?", very well knowing that the baker never visited the bank off late due to the dwindling of cash in his counter. The baker was dumbstruck at this sudden proposal. The chef, sensing his confusion, leaned on the counter mischievously before beginning, "Oh old man, do you remember, about a good 20 years ago, a woman would come with her child outside your bakery, and plead for your items? And you too would graciously give it to her without charging much!". The baker, after thinking hard, responded, "I....don't recollect exactly....".
"Ah, old age!! A privilege!", exclaimed the chef, before explaining, "My dear old man, you may have forgotten. The lady to whom you gave your products was none other than my mother. I loved your bakes so much that I fell in love with cooking because of it. I went to Australia and learnt a lot about cooking. But it was always my life's ambition set up a hotel opposite your bakery, for the honour of doing so is unparalleled. However, I knew that it would affect your sales, and hence, ever since I started the hotel, I've been crediting half the total profit my hotel makes per month into your bank account. But you, who never bothered to visit the bank due to the dip in sales, never knew this. And come what may, your baking is what I love the most, irrespective of every innovative dish that my hotel produces. That's why I always buy from you". Upon hearing the chef's story, the baker stood still for a while, before a wide smile broke out from his wrinkled lips. The chef then requested to the baker, "Please stay. Please bake. Have no worry about your finances.", and with an afterthought, adds, "At least bake enough for me". At this, the old man laughs and responds, "My dear boy, I baked for my passion, and my bones are quite old now. Now I know that I have a worthy successor, and hence, I'll give the recipe to you and retire happily. But on one condition!! Food at your hotel must always be free for me!!!". And hence, laughing good heartedly, the baker and chef went arm in arm, no longer competitors, but friends.
- Maitreyi K
When our beloved Author first narrated this story to me, I had to spend a good amount of time marvelling at the wonderful lessons I learnt from the story, and now, I humbly seek to share them with you.
The baker teaches us that whoever we may be, and whatever we may do, we have a position in the world, and we have a duty to perform. It's our responsibility that we do our duty properly, irrespective of the results our actions may yield. He never went away from baking though his sales went down, because he knew that baking was where his passion, and hence, his duty lay, and performed his task diligently, gaining satisfaction from even a solitary customer. The entire world is wide and huge, and each and every one of us have a role to play in it. How small is the role? - we don't know. How much effort does it require? - we don't know. How much recognition will we get on doing it? - we don't know!! And quite frankly, we shouldn't bother about the answers to these questions! It's our duty to discover our path in life, and walk on it without worrying about the results.
The chef, on the other hand, teaches a different lesson. He was heavily inspired by the baker. Yet, what he did was to employ the principles of the baker that inspired him into his own life. He didn't seek to BECOME a copy of the baker. He didn't set up a bakery similar to the baker's opposite opposite him!!! He instead got inspired by the baker's passion for cooking, applied it in his own way, and became a star chef. Being inspired by someone, and becoming their replica in life, are two VERY different things. The latter leads to loss of individuality, something that's very dangerous, while the former leads us on the path of our duty.
So, we've clearly learnt a lot from a simple story, a practice that has been long lost since childhood. Let us all learn from events, tales and stories around us, for there is no limit to the values we need to imbibe, and nor is there a limit to the stories that teach them to us.
Until next time,
Wishing you lots of positivity and growth
Subrahmanyam B R
