THE ENLIGHTENED

Had my hair cut this morning at a saloon near KIIT square. The Air conditioned saloon is somewhat a better one in the area, neat n clean and 4 persons can be engaged at a time. Out of four barbers ( we call them hair dressers now a days as the term “barber” is taken as derogatory by them) only two were available today and out of them, one was known to me and the other one I saw for first time in the shop. The new one was engaged in his job while discussing so many things with one of his known customers. From their conversation it was revealed that he was Mr Guru and the owner of the saloon.

His client asked him “ toara kete lova re…..aau kete paisa hele to lovo purijiba??.....maalika hoi puni chula katuchu …laja laguni re tote..????” Guru replied “ kan kahibi bhai…aaji 4 jana pila ru matra jane asichhi…..bahar kari dianti je…kintu kahar peta mariba bhal katha nuhe……Customer mane palei le mo dehare jaena…..semane basi rahile bhi bhala lagena..tenu nije bele bele kati dien…” as such he narrated his story as to how he came to Bhubaneswar during 1998 with ? 20/- in hand  and started working in a barber shop.

That time there was not much modern saloon in Bhubaneswar and ‘big big people’ used to come to him for hair cutting. His luck favoured and slowly he possessed so many things which he never dreamt of. I was unknowingly watching his face full of glow, eyes bright, confidence in his tone….. he continued that he has 12 A/C saloons in Bhubaneswar today to his credit, possesses a maruti car, his children are studying in a boarding school which costs him lakhs !!!! I was silently listening their conversation with 100% attention……. I  wanted to stand n salute him but for the people around, I developed a lot of respect for his hard work, his sincerity and dedication to his nature of job that is looked down upon by the society today.

He continued and put  major thrust of his story behind one JP Das, the then chairman of ‘Orissa State Beverage Corporation’ who was a regular client for him and who was a living GOD for him, who changed his life altogether…..     My interest to his story further developed and was afraid, if my hair cut would be over before his story completes and concludes, it would not be possible to sit there only for listening hi story!! But he kept telling with proud and confidence about the man. He said , he developed acquaintance with the Big Man after few cuttings and started visiting his house for body massage for a year. His luck worked…..the Big Man offered him ? 50 thousand loan himself without asking for it and advised to develop a good A/C saloon in the ground floor of the ‘Krishna Tower’ , a plush locality near ISKON temple, where the ‘Big Man’ stayed. “I earned a good lot of money as so many ‘Big Men’ visited my saloon and finally purchased the shop later with the help of my godfather, the ‘Big Man’” he continued. “ at the evening crowed rush to the ISKON temple but I rush to my God father, a living God, a real God”, he said. “ My last fourteen generation banged their heads before the so called god in the temple, but they never got anything in life, remained poor and unhappy……….perhaps they could not have found the proper address of the “real god” "; and advised his known client not to waste his time running to temple where the priests are making them fool all the time in the name of god but to find a ‘living god’ available plenty everywhere.  ………..

My haircut was just over by that time but the very thought of the “REAL GOD”  began to haunt me…..  So enlightened was the barber, sorry…the hair dresser, I never imagined. His words  “ mo chouda purusha jak mandira re munda badei badei phateidele…….kintu kan paile??? Kintu mu jana ku dilse bina ashaa re seba karichalili and dekha mu kan paichi??.......” I will carry through out in quest of the ‘real god’……….    And now I salute the barber, no the hair dresser, for his dedication to his work without paying any heed to what people say…….