We were taken in and were separated into different groups. I along with my colleagues went to the top floor .Suddenly, I was given a tea tank (fully filled) to be lifted up from one place to another…. a few ten rooms away. I had never lifted anything heavier than school bag in my life, but I had to do it. First lesson,” Sometimes we have to do certain things in our life even though we don’t want to do it”. It was so heavy but I felt like doing it. I didn’t know why
Then I was suddenly called again and was asked to arrange the glasses of the same size in a particular order. But at the same time I had to take care that the sound of the ice cubes should not be heard. I picked up the first glass and Thud! I cracked the ice cube and then came the noise from the other side. ”Hey what are you doing?” Lesson No 2. “Be very careful in doing whatever you are assigned to do.” I completed it with constant fear and various perceptions in my mind that something fishy is going to happen. It was like a sword hanging over my head that if something breaks, I am. doomed. But thank God it didn’t
happen.
Then I was taken out with others and a guy explained us something. He was elucidating us in some other language because the majority of them knew it. But what about me? I did not know it, but still I didn’t question. The turning point was when he started questioning us whether we understood everything of whatever he had said and the truth was out. And so was lesson No.3. ”Speak out”. It reminds me of a Gujarati proverb “Bole Tena Bor Vachaiye.” (A fruit seller who speaks sells his fruits).
Then came the main hour. I was there taking a heavy plate of my favorite food over my head. It was awfully heavy. Someone suddenly put his hand in and took some pieces out. My mouth was watering and at the same time I was gasping my breath and was scuttling here and there pleasing people. My brain started boiling when a man was purposefully irritating me and asked me to come to him every now and then. The next lesson was to be patient in my life and keep my cool. After that we were asked to pick up the used plates and glasses. I felt
so odd because I never picked up my plates at home. But after the clearance, it seemed so clean. So was my next lesson, “Always keep your things at their original places because someone else too gets irritated to do your work”.
At last it ended. We had to pull out heavy table clothes and clean the tables. I wouldn’t have cleaned it so quickly if it had not been my TEAM helping me to teach me the sixth lesson, “Together Everyone Achieves More”. And then was the most horrible thing which put our spinal cords off. And again, I got to learn the next lesson, “You shouldn’t stretch yourself to the extremities or else you will suffer”.
By then I was hungry and I was not given food. I asked for it but was denied. One of us had a big headache and told them that he couldn’t continue unless he was fed which taught me one more thing, “You should get yourself recognized for whatever you do”
What next? We left with body aches and just slept. It was throbbing but we were excited. Wait! I didn’t tell you what this was all about. It was my part time job as an ODC. We had to collect our payment from the placement cell. But we had to wait because they had not received the payment from the organization. But again I realized the value of dignity of labor. After a fortnight, we went there to collect our pay. It was a mere 190 bucks but it was such a moment of pride because I had learnt the most important lesson of my life, “Money earned by the sense of one’s brow is the only kind of money which gives us a sense of pride and achievement.” These were the most important life lessons I learnt that evening which I would never ever forget in my life.
Shah Dharmik Nitin
B.Sc. Biotechnology
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