Continued from Redefining Volunteerism: Part 6. This is Saga 2.
Babloo was unable to read & acknowledge the intensity of the underlying message, as relayed and communicated by Karambir, but Swaraj had. He vowed to find out more about the truth that lay behind the discourse he had been dished out with, by that truck-driver, for although Swaraj was an epitome of belief of the phrase 'dignity-of-labor', this principle coming to him from an unknown quarter had stumped him. The truck had rolled in with the material reaching the unloading bay. The material (bags and boxes) was sprayed with the disinfectant provided by the team, unloaded, stacked neatly, wiped clean, and reconciled.
Swaraj stood silently by the side of the bay, watched with hawked eye precision for every action/inaction/excesses, and had his register for the required documentation. When the last of the box was taken off the truck, Raju emerged with a big blue box. Amongst themselves, Babloo and Raju referred to it as the Co-KIT. While the two of them were busy hovering around the box, opening and shutting the truck’s cabin doors multiple times, Swaraj took that time to complete his documentation activities. The papers were all in order, they were inserted into the transparent pouches used for keeping papers and placed on the wheel-barrow used for ferrying documents, the sanitizing agents, the wipes, and a small dustbin.
“Do you have a washing bay, Sir?”. It was the cleaner-Raju, who stood with his trousers folded up to his knees. He had gumboots on, long-gloves, a rubber coverall. Swaraj’s immediate response thereafter was to look for Babloo, who stood in a similar outfit. “Oh, so this must have come off the Co-KIT” murmured Swaraj. While he directed Raju towards the washing bay, and he watched the truck being driven into the bay, Swaraj’s curiosity got the better of him and was glad that the mask provided his emotions a safe-guard. A strategic position had to be taken for he had to observe the ‘then-narrated-&-explained’ cleaning & disinfecting procedure which was to unfold! Only that reconfirmation would help cool his somewhat bruised ego. He was struggling to accept that a transportation team could be as meticulous as what was imagined.
What unfolded during that ‘clean-wash-disinfect-dry-spray’ cycle was unbelievable. That hour-long activity undertaken by the truck-driver and the cleaner turned Swaraj’s impression & comprehension inside-out! There were times when Raju would call out for the missed out steps, while there were times when Babloo would insist on a procedure to be followed. The small steps mattered! Every small activity mattered for these two people, no matter how insignificant. It was as if their life depended on each little task! The absence of finesse notwithstanding, the competence with which these folks had executed the job was astounding. As he waited patiently, for Babloo and Raju to come hither, millions of thoughts were racing in Swaraj’s head. The questions were surrounding his own commitment to foresee the small steps, to think and establish procedures, to follow procedures, and call out anyone who did not. His thoughts raced to the multiple times when he had failed to stand up to his ideals and lead someone else, irrespective of the role. When he encountered Babloo, who had tidied up, the only emotion that pervaded that ambience was appreciation! It was genuine and forthcoming! Their subsequent goodbyes emerged from a different domain! The embodiment of the transformation in their relationship was when Babloo unpacked a box of special sweet-meat from his personal bag and handed it over to Swaraj in saying “This is from my home and may it reach yours.”
Although difficult to admit, Swaraj felt a new sense of acceptance engulf him. In more than one manner, this was a lesson he would carry for the rest of his life and make it a share-session with Karambir. On second thoughts, why not volunteer to share this with all of his teammates? The extra swing in Swaraj’s gait said it all.