ARJUN

The below story was narrated to me 2-3 weeks ago over phone by my cousin Srinath who wanted my assistance in shaping it into text form for possible addition into their corporate newsletter, as an example of how one of their core corporate values – SEAMLESSNESS – could be exemplified; in the process, he felt, any attention it garners could also be channelised to help the boy even more meaningfully. I felt it was too good not to be shared. I am not too sure whether the newsletter has rolled out, I am hoping people will get to read this here after it has actually been published in print. So here goes…

Arjun (04) travels some 80km everyday as he accompanies his mother who shuttles between her home in Denkanikottai (Tamil Nadu) and her workplace at Fashion Craft near Anekal (Karnataka). As she gets on with her job, Arjun stands at the creche' window, looking out all day, lost in his own world silently. Many of us have seen this off & on, and moved on with our work.

Recently I noticed that Arjun was no longer seen at his usual place beside the window. Curious to know further, I walked in to the creche and talked to one of the caretakers. I would like to share with you the story that unfurled before me.

Like many of us, one of our senior colleagues Mr. Srinath had also noticed Arjun's reticence. He felt it was unusual for a boy of 4 years to stand still at one place all day, so he made enquiries at the creche. Then he came to know that Arjun was a 'deaf and dumb' child since birth, and the family situation simply did not permit any special attention being given to his condition. Thus the boy stood there everyday, mute witness to the cruel fate that had been dealt, as life flowed smoothly for everyone else.

Srinath could not accept this situation because it moved him and haunted his thoughts. He earnestly desired to bring about a change in Arjun’s life. So he began making enquiries with doctors known to him, and with their guidance, he adopted a step-by-step approach to first assess the degree of challenge faced by Arjun and then to look at the best possible way to resolve the same. After several visits to different specialists it was concluded that a hearing aid would be the simplest solution to overcome this situation.

By now, Srinath had identified himself so much with this incident that, when a viable solution was presented to him, he took a decision to implement the same immediately, without pausing to seek assistance from any other quarter. The doctor assured that Arjun's hearing would be restored immediately, while he would have to undergo further training to learn to speak. It was decided that Arjun would wear a hearing aid on the same day.

When the hearing aid was pressed into Arjun's ear and the little boy responded to sound, his bright, excited eyes met Srinath's eyes brimming with tears, as if to say, 'Thank You.' It would be some more time before Arjun could actually utter those words, the beginning had just been made.

Arjun now spends time amidst his friends, eagerly opening up to new learning.

I was speechless for a long time after listening to this narration and decided to meet Mr. Srinath to express my deep appreciation. What he said to me then, was an eye-opener, and the words still ring in my ears: "We speak of SEAMLESSNESS as one of our core values. We want to come up in life. We want our company to excel. We want our colleagues to be happy. I just felt this should naturally spread out to the world around us. While I cannot single handedly wipe out everyone's tears, I should at least try to the extent I can."