Where To Meet The Best Storytellers

It was raining and dark. This is Seattle in late February. The reflection of the street lights on the wet roads makes for beautiful subjects for paintings. I was late. I looked at the address. I find myself always landing up either too early or too late for every dinner invitation. The Uber drivers seem to know that if I time it just right, they will cancel. But if I build in some slack, the driver shows up right away. Does it happen with you too or is it just me?

It was always a toss up. Would I be the one to show up early and surprise my host or would I be the one to join the party late and apologise for my tardiness. This time I opted for a competitor. When the Lyft cab arrived, I stepped in to the cab and said, "Hello Iqbal, I am Abhijit".

He was listening to a Punjabi song. He lowered the volume to introduce himself.

"That's a nice song. Please keep playing it."

So he turned up the volume. I noticed he knew the lyrics by heart. He kept driving through the night as the rain lashed on the windscreen. The wipers were dancing with their hands in the air as they swayed from left to right.

The cab was at a traffic light. I was watching the reflection of the traffic signal as it laid out the red carpet on the street.

The song had ended. There was a thick fog of silence in the cab. I broke the silence, "That is a very soothing tune. My knowledge of Punjabi is passable. So I have missed a few lines in between. I like the tune. Who is the composer?"

"uh me," he mumbled. I did not quite get the name.

Did he say Swami or Omi? This must be a new composer.

"Sorry, I did not quite hear you. What is the composer's name?" I asked again.

"Me... I am the composer. I am the lyricist. This is my song. It is on Spotify. Look for Iqbal Singh Butter on Spotify."

He talked to me about how he is saving up to finally go to Mumbai and get his big break in Bollywood.

I wondered if I should ask him a question that was in my mind. "Then why not spend all your effort in making that dream happen? Why are you driving this cab?"

In response Iqbal said something that blew me away.

That has always stayed with me.

"Sometimes you have to do what you don't like, so that you get to do what you love."

That sentence never left me.

Have you ever wondered what stories lie behind the stoic faces of your cab drivers? They have chosen to drive for a living. But ask them about their dreams and you will hear stories of courage, resilience, adventure and humanity.

In my book Career 3.0, don't miss the story of Okineto (not his real name) who escaped from the clutches of the mafia. Why his brother got shot and all the twists and turns that his life took as he left his country overnight. I had to leave out lots of details of Okineto's story until I felt comfortable that I would not let out his identity but still told his story. It is a fascinating story.

Thank you for reading and sharing this newsletter with your colleagues and followers. Your mails and queries are the prompts I use to write my newsletter. So keep them coming. My email is [email protected]

My book Career 3.0 is getting launched on Nov 27-2023.

Do join the launch party at LinkedIn.com/in/abhijitbhaduri . Why you should join

Meet the characters from Career 3.0 in real life. Their stories inspired me to write the book. You will also meet a few characters from my upcoming podcast where we will explore the twists and turns and the unplanned shifts that shape careers.

There are 2 launch parties. Join the one that you like. Better still - join both. You will meet different characters. Thanks for encouraging me.

Preorder on Amazon in US https://a.co/d/c4jbmGV);

Readers in India can use this link https://amzn.eu/d/iYJgLyS