What is one word that describes you?
The narrative explores the life of a common man who faces daily struggles for survival and shares the universal experiences of hardship, hope, and the pursuit of a better life. It paints a vivid picture of his morning routine amidst the rising sun, reflecting on nature and gratitude. The story delves into societal norms, the humbling nature of life, and the vital role of the common man in history, highlighting the collective strength and aspirations of individuals often overlooked in society.
He woke up early in the morning. Sitting on the bed, he brooded for some time without actually having a thought. The deep darkness had started becoming lighter. After a few moments, he got up from the bed and went up to the open terrace. The terrace gives him a feeling of openness.
The dark sky was embellished with a few glittering stars. Birds had started chirping. He looked at the sky, which was gradually fading eastward, and a pink hue was spreading. Flock of Herons were flying in their characteristic “V” shape formation. A kite was whirling around, flying at a low height. The breeze was pleasantly cold and soul-soothing.
He started circumambulating around the terrace. Thoughts were gushing but his mind was not agitated. He raised his head and looking at the horizon, his hands spontaneously became folded. Looking at the invisible, he thanked Almighty for giving him one more morning to see the beauty of Nature and the strength to fight the adversities.
A lapwing went flying above him, yelling in its characteristic call tri…ti…hut, tri…ti…hut. A dove was cooing nearby, perching on a bough. Soon, he found that the darkness had vanished, and the sky became bright. The sun had started appearing. A large crimson ball was emerging from the horizon. It looked stunningly beautiful.
When he shifted to this area, which was in its early stage of development, it was sparsely populated. Except for a few bonafide residents, it was not properly habituated. The vacant structures, which were dirty and dangerously weak, resembled dilapidated cell-like cement buildings. These sites were occupied by illegal migrants engaged in ragpicking. The rundown buildings, merged with the empty land, created a haunting atmosphere. Every night, clouds of bats would emerge and fly around the area. Occasional hooting of an owl was also heard.
He earned his house and got it constructed with whatever he saved by cutting his daily expenditures and managing them. Housing was his essentiality. The instalment of his house was a great drain on him as his wages were meagre; he faced a lot of difficulties in meeting the ends. Loaning was not easy. He faced harrowing and insulting conditions while trying for a loan from banks and financial institutions.
He is a common man. A person who struggles for his survival. Every morning he rise with a hope, go to work, earn his bread and try to give best to his family and children. Every day for him is a day of war against odd. He struggles, faces defeat and again rise up to work even harder hoping for the best.
He remembers his childhood days when he used to wait for hours in a queue to get a few litres of kerosene oil or stood for hours in government fair-price shops. He knew nothing about childhood days and its luxury. Since the time he was capable of register things and respond, he found himself standing in a queue for petty things.
There are millions who are like him. It is a common story of every person who is not privileged but are ordained to struggle for survival. A crowd of people, who crush their wish to fulfil the dreams of their children. They struggle to keep their false reputation. Their notion that they belong to a respected family, gives no opportunity to live them a free life.
He can be seen everywhere. Look around and you will find him. On railway stations, struggling to find a seat in a compartment, in a bus wading through the crowd to get a place to stand, in government offices, cinema halls, courtrooms, anywhere. People and a motley crowd are vying for betterment, pushing and pulling each other. It’s like a stampede where an insane crowd want to surpass everything in a competition to get a thing first lest it is too late.
The common man is the category which dreams small and works hard. He feels disappointed when he doesn’t get results. His disappointment cascades down to his family and children. Imagine an office scenario. An employee was thrashed by his boss for not presenting the required report in time and was humiliated. His boss was frustrated because he had to show that report in the weekly meeting, failing which he would be devoid of a particular assignment he was vying for and was lobbying for long. It is a chain action, but the noticeable thing is that while a simple employee couldn’t hand over the report because of his constraints, his boss was furious for his selfish motive.
The feelings and aspirations of a common man are not big, but the paucity of resources is big and hard to meet. Jealousy, petty animosity and individual mendacity are the instinctive behaviours of human beings, but their scale in a common man is much smaller in comparison to a resourceful and cash rich.
A commoner is the backbone of society, a watchdog of social norms and the bedrock of civilization. His contribution is great in shaping society and his collective voice can shake the ruling class to their roots. History testifies to the potential power and effect of the common man.
The French Revolution in 1789 was a momentous incident. The historical Revolution brought social and political agitation in France causing a radical change. It was against social disparity and unequal wealth and power distribution. A handful of elites had utmost power and wealth, while the three-fourth majority was reeling under distressed conditions.
In 1917, the Bolshevik Revolution ended the rule of the Czar. Russian people were suppressed, lots whose lives were pathetic. Great Russian thinkers and writers have described it in their work. The simmering dissatisfaction and unrest culminated in a revolution led by Lenin who followed the theory of Marx mutatis mutandis.
India struggled a lot to remove the yoke of slavery imposed by the British. The commoners led by a group of political thinkers and activists raised against the mighty British Empire – the Empire on which the sun never set. The small desires and aspirations, the habit of being contended by what they have, and their insignificant appearance make a common man. One can boast of possessing the best possible qualities like benevolence, compassion and generosity but it would not be a perfect definition of a person. A person tends to evaluate about self in a rather partial way, considering everything best in the self. A dispassionate evaluation would reveal the real self. It needs an honest introspection.
Human being is a mixed bag of good and bad emotions. They imagined God as a perfect and flawless entity. It is a utopian thought. God is Almighty and is omnipresent. He is the parameter of qualities. He is Absolute but a human being can’t. Even God incarnated in human form possesses good and bad qualities. He suffers and bears pain shares moments of joy and celebrates victory or success. Our wise primogenitors have rightly said that having a balance of right and wrong, virtue and vice. It is human. Those who try to portray themselves as an ideal one live in a fool’s paradise. It is not they who perceive but others who watch them and make an image of them. The general perception is dependent on other’s observation.
A garrulous talk about qualities and putting oneself on a high pedestal can satiate an egotistic mindset but is far from reality. A habitual liar can never be an ideal for society. One can boast about one’s honesty but at the end of the day, it is a reality-based general perception that matters. To err is human, but to stick stubbornly to a silly thing is foolishness. Having a blend of good and bad is better for a person and society.
So, how a person should describe it in a word? It is preferable to call a human – a common man.
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