26 ways to success - E for Enjoyment - "Displaying passion at work" article published in The Hans India on 3rd March 2016

E For Enjoyment

Enjoying is to take delight or pleasure in an activity or occasion.  If a person’s hobby becomes his job that person is destined to excel. Let me illustrate. A worker has to fit bolts in the wheel assembly department of an automotive company. He does his job well but he does not give it his all, which he could offer. He is working with his head and hands only. But he is not giving his heart. If he can give it his heart he will become a master craftsman.

The same man loves dogs. In other words dogs are his hobby. As far as dogs are concerned he would do anything to satisfy his interest. He would pore over dog magazines, he would involve in discussion about dogs with his friend, and he would gape at pedigree dogs that he sees in the street. He would drive kilometers to see dog shows and he is an avid watcher of dog and wildlife programmes on the television. All these indicate that dogs are his all consuming passion. If this type of passion could come into our jobs we would be excellent as workers and as employees. 

The job that our friend should look for is in the field of show dog breeding, dog training, sale of dog food and dog related accessories. That way he can pursue his hobby as a career and make a happy living for himself.  

Cities in India are crowded and most of the traffic on the roads is quite undisciplined and unruly. People honk, cut each other off in the traffic, snarl, abuse and are at each other’s throat all the time. Their road rage is very apparent but the people most affected are the traffic cops. They are the most helpless, ill equipped and have limited authority. They do not possess high speed vehicles and till very recently could not even record and apprehend errant drivers. And to top it all they do not get appreciation or sympathy from the people they serve, the road users.

The traffic cops do not have any protection against pollution and tend to be a demoralized lot. They have to perform duties in hot sun and stand cheek in jowl with milling vehicles and traffic. No wonder they have grown surly, sulking and not surprisingly become aggressive and abusive. Traffic cops are mostly ignored and are considered a minor irritant when one is driving.

But one traffic cop’s direction giving style is printed vividly in my memory. It was the late 80s and the traffic junction was Jai hind cafe junction at Ashoknagar, Hyderabad. It was manned by a traffic cop named Narsing Rao. Narsing Rao was a very nice man. He always has a ready smile and would cheerfully greet his regular friends. His style of directing traffic was like a ballet dance. His directions were crisp, firm and very artistic. He would gently chide drivers trying to cut ahead of traffic or who were trying to violate the rules. He would say “Arre Saab, why don’t you wait for a few seconds please?” His gentle manners and smile won him many admirers. 

Narsing Rao was featured in the local press and became a minor celebrity. The story was caught on and he was featured in the local television channels and finally he was a part of a BBC programme. The state government recognized his services, gave him a promotion and made his an instructor at the AP traffic training school, Amberpet, Hyderabad. I am sure that Narsing Rao became a very good teacher and may his tribe multiply exponentially.

I could get hold of couple of YouTube videos titled dancing traffic cops. The gay abandon with which both the traffic cops dance while performing their duty makes us envious. That I think is the essence of doing any job. Do it so well that other people become envious and want to do the same job. Key words for the YouTube.com search “Dancing policeman: America's most entertaining traffic cop” and Traffic Cop Dance: Michael Jackson Style”.

                                                                         

Look at Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal and the new breed of sporting icons. Their sheer enjoyment of playing their respective games at the highest level, winning laurels for themselves and for the country has spawned an entire new generation of wanna be youngsters who want to emulate their sporting heroes. Enjoying what we do and doing what we enjoy is the essence of living happily and with contentment.