Enriching Encounter

How would you react when you have just landed at a place for a new job/venture, and somebody appears from nowhere and ask why you have come for doing job/venture there, leaving your native place?

It was a perplexing moment for me at 2.00 am on 25^th June, 2014 at Rayagada railway station, a small town in Odisha, India. I had just got down from the Lokmanya Tilak (Mumbai)-Vishakhapatnam Express train and taken a seat at the platform to organize my belonging when an old person in his late sixties - bald, clean shaven suddenly appeared, and asked me by waiving his stick “Bihar se aaya hai, dhandha karne. Wahan kaam karne ki jagah nahi thi kya? Yahan sab chor hain” (Why have you come from Bihar to do business here? Don’t you have opportunities there? All are thieves here). I was startled, frozen. Though, I am settled in Mumbai, and was coming from there, I am originally a Bihari and came to Rayagada to re-start my company. 

I recently had a bad experience in neighbouring district ‘Gajapati’ where two of my old-timers tried to take advantages rather than cooperating when I started my field operation there. I had closed my operation there and came to Rayagada to re-start my work with small and marginal farmers. Please see www.sustainableagroinc.com for my work.

After gathering courage, I asked him to sit down. We then started conversation. I asked him whether he is Oriya, why he is here and why he is cursing Oriya people. He told me that he stays at ‘Titlagarh’ (but kept changing his place and ultimately took another train to Raipur), and came here to see the doctor.  I told him we get good and bad people everywhere, and as I do have many good friends in Odisha I have chosen Odisha for my work. I asked him why he gets so angry every-time as it is not good for his health. He told me that he already had three heart-attacks. As his purpose of life is over he is not worry about death and has already donated his body to a hospital. 

He then asked me whether I can give him some money for tea. Strangely, from nowhere he looked like a beggar. He was wearing a safari suit and carrying a bag. I took out Rs.20/- notes and gave him for tea and biscuit. After that he left. 

As it was still too early to venture out (2.20-2.30 O’clock in morning) I took out a book and started reading. Meanwhile, a family came and occupied the empty seat where that old man was sitting. Suddenly, that old man emerged again from nowhere and said “…..look at them! They don’t know what will happen next moment and they are going to Raipur with so many luggage. I have to go with them”. I asked the family where they are going. They said – Raipur. It shocked me again. Shortly after that the family left to another platform, and the old man went behind them slowly together with his stick. Before leaving, he said “tu accha aadmi hai. Jo karne aaya hai wahi kar” (You are a good man. Do what for which you have come). Next day I learned that it was the time (2.30 am, 25^th June, 2014) when Rajdhani Express - considered as one of safest train in India, derailed in Bihar.

In the morning, my new Field Supervisor, an Oriya fellow joined me. He is basically from Koraput, Odisha, but has been working in Jharkhand. He asked me the same question that why I selected Odisha as my work area, and why not Jharkhand/Bihar as I am originally from there (born in Jharkhand, brought up in Bihar). I asked him where he stays in Jharkhand. He said near to Ranchi, at a small place called ‘Angarah’. This is the place, where I spent four years to establish first self-sustainable model, known as “WISH”, he was not aware. That also completes the missing link on why I am in Odisha and why not in Bihar/Jharkhand. I will be utilizing my knowledge and experience through my old staff and first CRP (Community Resource Person) to disseminate the WISH learning. You might have read about WISH in my note “SRI to SAI” - (now also as Angarah to Rayagada).