You get some great, amazingly fantastic news. What’s the first thing you do?
Ishwar rejoices in his successful crop harvest, reflecting on his struggles with moneylenders in the past. Thanks to government support, he now enjoys a fair return without debt. Celebrating this milestone, he reflects on happiness residing in the present, appreciating small joys rather than chasing elusive dreams. While observing the enjoyment of laborers cooking, Ishwar appreciates the value of hard work. His family celebrates humbly, thanking the Almighty for their blessings, embodying the spirit of gratitude intrinsic to Indian culture.
The green fields with carpeted yellow flowers, intermittent trees here and there, and the swinging crops in the pleasing breeze. The vivid hues appeared bright in the spring sunshine. It all looked pretty beautiful and rewarding. Occasional flying of birds supplemented the whole scene.
Ishwar was standing beside his swinging field proudly watching his hard labour fruiting. He was happy that all went well and that his crop grew well. It would soon be ready to harvest and give him a good yield. With swinging heads of crop his mind drifted in past. The time was when he used to beseech a money lender to lend him money. The moneylender would charge exorbitant interest and a part of the produce as a part of repayment of the interest for the money he would lend to him. Those were the times when he never felt buoyant and happy about the ripening of the crops. Even after hard work, a large part would go down the drain, but now, no more. He bowed his head before the unseen and omnipresent Almighty and thanked Him copiously.
He was happy that he would get a fair price for his crop without hassle. He thanked the government whose schemes helped him procure healthy seeds, fertilizers and solar pump sets which considerably helped him in his farming without getting entangled in the vicious web of moneylenders. It felt great seeing his swinging crop.
For Ishwar, it was an occasion to be happy. He has achieved a great milestone; he can now repair his house’s leaking roof and save money for future projects. His wife, who used to howl at him for everything, has mellowed down considerably. Happy days are in the offing, and the family was content.
Happiness is something that resides in the brain, not in the outside world. Instead of dreaming something big to become happy, it is possible to relish small things. A bar of chocolate provides pleasure, but it is unhelpful and unproductive to think about unrelated matters before enjoying it, as they spoil both the taste and the occasion. Petty things give ample satisfaction and happiness if enjoyed in their spirit on the occasion.
Running behind happiness is like chasing a mirage. A thirsty individual tries to pursue imaginary water to get frustrated and stay thirsty. Mirage lures an organism or a human being. A proper understanding of it helps in deciding and not chasing it.
Indian culture and ethos have, since ancient times, been preaching about the importance of current times. It is this that is reality and is in front. The current needs to be lived fully and enjoyed.
Lord Krishna, during His discourse to Arjuna, has emphasised it repeatedly in Gita. He emphatically says that the thing which is in our control is our deeds or “Karma”. What we need to focus on are the deeds. It is the current which allows us to do our duties well. A good deed, performed in the right direction and with earnestness, is bound to bring fruit and give pleasure. Ishwar, our protagonist, was feeling it watching the ripening crop before him.
A group of construction labourers was preparing their meal for dinner. They were camping at the construction site. A small transistor was playing and some of the labourers were also singing with it as if karaoke the song. The group was singing, cracking jokes and talking to each other while cooking. Their work was harmonized and coordinated with distinct divisions of labour. It seemed that they were camping like a camper who trekked to rugged hilly terrain and rested after the strenuous hiking and preparing his dinner.
Both the trekker and the group of labourers were enjoying. The degree and cause of enjoyment, though, was different. While the trekker has dedicated hiking to get the enjoyment of being in the vicinity of Nature and maybe for study, the labourers were at work and were trying to pull their ends by earning a few bucks for the betterment of their families, which they have left behind in their villages.
The wage day was the day of jubilation for them. They will get money for the work they have done diligently according to their capacity and ability. They have reasons to be happy. While preparing their food, they were sharing their experiences and future planning with each other. The trekker, on the other hand, was feeling happy though he was planning for his next leg of hiking. Next morning, he needs to rise early in the morning, and after finishing the routines, he has to move. His enjoyment and excitement were more in reaching his destination rather than enjoying the hiking and natural beauty which was scattered all around.
Ishwar would thank the Almighty for the good harvest. Indian people know how to celebrate the happiness and bounties they get from nature. After each harvest, they copiously thank God. They prepare food with newly grown grains, fruits and nuts and offer it to their deities. They pray, and collectively celebrate, copiously thanking God for the bounties He conferred on them. Instead of jumping and ludicrous show of happiness, the people of India take it as an occasion to thank the Almighty, clean their houses and offer Him the prepared cuisines as oblation. After the worship is completed, the attendees respectfully take the food that has been blessed, known as “Prasaad.”
That day Ishwar was happy.
After reaping his crop, he properly thrashed it, got it desiccated, and cleared its impurities by using a sieve. He filled them in gunny bags, stitched them, and carried his hard-earned produce to a nearby government purchase centre to sell them.
It was hectic at the purchase centre. People from nearby villages had congregated there for the purpose Ishwar had gone for. He put his trolley in the queue and waited for his turn. He had completed the formalities beforehand, so he faced no hassles. He had his produce weighed, entered it into the database at the center, and was informed about the money he would get. In a short while, he was intimated by the men on duty that the money had been credited to his bank account.
He joyously returned home, riding on his trolley. He felt on cloud nine and was humming a song he used to sing when happy. By the time he reached home, the sun was on the last leg of its journey. Birds were returning to their nests; so were cattle, which were returning back to their places. He looked at the large heliacal ball Which looked mesmerizingly beautiful. With a folded hand, Ishwar thanked Almighty once again and paid respect to the setting sun.
We feel ecstatic when get good news of success, on getting anything overdue or something unexpected but long desired. A student jumps up with joy when news of his grand success reaches him. It was seen in recently concluded elections in which the workers of the winning party started celebrating. Sweetmeats were distributed, trumpets were blown, and drums were played along with a firework show. The winning candidates visited temples and sought blessings of deities.
At the individual level, the nature of celebration differs. The daughter of Ishwar, who came with flying colours in her board examination, was very happy, and so was the family. She had made a visit to a nearby temple to pay her respect to God. On the contrary, one of her classmate’s parents arranged for drumbeaters to play drums on her door to show the degree of her success to the neighbourhood people.
Sharing joy or even woes with others is a natural phenomenon, but the ludicrous, loud show of success is something that has fewer takers. Ishwar and his family were down to earth. They were humble and did not like exhibiting it loudly.
The way of sharing important moments of joy is a personal choice. Everyone is free to express their feelings in the way they want to. It is the expression of the thought process and the disposition of the individual. Success is undoubtedly the outcome of one’s extensive hard work that instils humbleness in an individual. It should be celebrated humbly, thanking the Supreme Soul. It must also be kept in mind that it is the hard work of the individual or a group that has paid dividends. The hard work and sincere efforts, thus, have to be acknowledged and celebrated. A great, amazingly fantastic news is rapturous. Some get stunned, while some become ecstatic to the extent that they start dancing like no one is around and watching.
Expressing joy and sharing it with others is personal but it should be observed with decency. It must be celebrated but with dignity and sincerity. Privacy and the feelings of others should also be considered while expressing it loudly.
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