April 2021 : Ved Prakash was sitting on his couch rummaging through the TV channels to get a hold of the impending second lockdown in Maharashtra. His sister-Neha’s family stayed in Nashik while he was settled in Guwahati with his family. Last year, while visiting her, he was caught in the sudden lockdown and ended up staying 2 months with them.
He reminisced the last year’s scenes of chaos across segments of the society and the deep scars it left for many. His memory flashed back to an interesting event and conversation with his teenage nephew - Yug.
April 2020 : As the lockdown was announced, he and Yug scrambled to stack necessities for the family. Vegetable and fruit vendors, groceries and even pharmacies used all tricks in the trade to hoard stocks and raise the prices. It was neither the time nor the place to argue, Ved loaded whatever was needed and rushed home.
Days passed, then weeks and the stress on the daily wage earners was spilling all over the media. Lines of migrant workers walking along the highways, closed businesses stuttering to survive and crimes rising - the picture was grim.
At home, there was a steadily rising stack of old newspapers, used notebooks and papers which needed to be rid off. With the lockdown, no raddiwala (hawkers that roam the streets to take away old newspapers, used plastic /metal objects for a price) was allowed to come into the apartment premises. One day while buying groceries, Ved saw a strolling raddiwala and immediately called out to him. On checking with him, Ved dialed his nephew and asked him to rush there with all the disposable stack of old newspapers and used papers.
As Ved awaited Yug, he could not help but notice the condition of the hawker. His left wrist was twisted, he could not grasp anything properly. His clothes were torn, soiled and barely wearable. His health was weak, maybe due to weeks of malnutrition and his cart had no items collected at all; except a rusty weighing scale and 2 torn, empty gunny bags. It seemed he had simply been wandering for long, without much luck.
Just then, the teenage boy arrived with 2 bundles of papers. They weighed the bundles and the price came to Rs. 96. Ved wondered if the hawker might actually have that much money. The hawker dipped into his pants pockets and fished out a lone 100 rupee note and handed to Ved, to which Ved promptly gave a 10 rupee note as he did not have 4 rupees change. Now, the hawker had paid Rs.90 (100-10) and owed Rs.6 to Ved. As the hawker rummaged through his pocket for the change, Ved blurted out - “It is ok, keep it”.
Half his mind was telling him to take pity on the hawker, the other half was embittered by previous hoarding experience of grocers and vendors. But the hawker was not ready, he pulled out a crumpled plastic bag and searched for coins. With a twisted wrist, he held the bag and slowly counted and returned the change (Rs.6) to Ved.
The 52 year old Ved felt a lump in his throat. Here he was about to pity and forego the remaining amount, but the hawker showed his uprightness. Through the tattered exterior, the hawker’s honor shone brightly.
Over dinner, Yug narrated the incident and how he was touched deeply. Sensing the timing was right to impart the right lessons, Ved spoke his mind.
“…… hawker might be poor, even illiterate and unkempt, but one thing he sure did, was keep his transactions clean and timely. His conscience was clear and he must be sleeping peacefully. For a clear conscience is the softest pillow.”
“Look at businesses that have thrived the vagaries of war, economy booms and busts, stock market meltdowns, technology disruptions and climate catastrophes. Their revenue, profits and assets reflect in the financial statements. But their conscience reflects in the brand loyalty they have garnered, sustained and grown over time.”
“A clear conscience in business cannot be audited, but it stays in the customers hearts and pays back in critical times. It helps to de-clutter and focus your efforts in the right direction and that eventually helps find ways to move forward steadily in business and so in life.”
In the short term, one can cheat the customers, but how will you cheat your own conscience? The inner voice speaks and burdens the mind, distracting it, weighing it down. A heavy pocket with a heavy heart rests less than an empty pocket with empty heart.
Yug’s eyes twinkled as the penny dropped for him. After all, Ved had been running a successful tooling business for the last 30 years and was held in high regard in his domain for his commitment to values. Ved used to tell him about values of commitment, honestly and customer centricity. Yug had always understood them, today he realized them.
Amazing....Clear conscience softest pillow..I always used to say while explaining integrity as core value..that " you sleep well"...but this is much better explanation. I will use it :)