Indra’s Drishtikona (Viewpoint)

Yohah Karamshu Kaushalam

Posted : June 26, 2004 at 9:26 am [IST]

I read this story in Times of India. It is true. Once you decide to retire from your position, you start taking things lightly. You do not put your best. You do not try to impart all the knowledge to those who will be running the show after you leave. As such also we have double standard of our performance. When we go for a work in an office, we expect courtesy, efficiency and what not. But when we are to deliver, we never appreciate the expectation of the man who has come to us for some thing.
First the story—
An elderly mason was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his family. He would miss the pay -packet, but what to do. He had made up his mind to retire. Though they do not have a house, somehow they will manage.

The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favour. The carpenter said “yes”. He started, but very soon it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and never bothered about inferior materials. No one could expect this quality of work from him. The contractor was serious but never said a word. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.

When the mason finished his work, the employer came and as a parting gift handed the front-door key to the mason. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you”. The mason was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.

We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best. Then with a shock we realise we have to live with the same life that we have built. And we ourselves missed to build the quality we wanted.

Life is a do-it-yourself project, someone has said. Your attitudes and the choices you make today, build the house you live in tomorrow. Build wisely!

Remember: Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’ve never been hurt.

“If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well”- a proverb

The title of this write up is from “The Bhagavad-Gita”

It is end part of 50 th Sloka from Chapter II. Yogah Karamashu Kaushalam was on the emblem of IIT, Kharagpur. I used to envy my friends who used to put on blazers in IIT days with this portion of sloka written on that. Unfortunately, in those days I could not afford a blazer. But the meaning has always haunted me. Skill in one’s trade is yoga. One must be the best at his work. You need not do anything else for salvation, once you are honest to your work whatever it is..

- Indra

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