Its not a folly that elders quote the quotes with great experience and also the fact that we often quote these quotes and understand but seldom actually experience them on our own! One of such enlightenment occurred to me by a very…I should say ‘non significant’ personality today. The quote I recollected when I happened to experience this incident is a very simple quote which we all know. It is none other than “Ignorance is bliss”. Don’t we all know this? Yes! It’s the same one. But what made me actually ‘realize’ this?! Well let me share it.
By chance or by choice, various colours of life are attracting me these days. The colours do include bright-happy, d
ark and gloomy ones. Good or bad, they are simply thought provoking out of which some are timely, some unwanted and some speculative! Well, before I get into the other details, let me talk about this person called “Nagaraja”, the office boy at my organization. Nagaraja is an unknown, unnoticed and neglected person who hardly is visible and always busy with petty chores at office. A person to whom generally people call with a “hiss” and he attends them with concern and get their works done silently. Fortunately or unfortunately, neither did I care to know his name till date. However, today I had a little work and wanted “that” guy. It was then I realized that I hadn’t even bothered to know his name!
Luckily I saw him pass by and asked my colleague to call him. He called him with that ‘hiss’ sound which I liked least. He came to us with a smile. He had dressed in a clean uniform and looked neat with oiled and combed hair. His innocent smile and the confidence in his eyes was actually like a mockery at us who were all tensed with many things in mind. What captured my eyes as soon as he entered our cabin was his watch. People started starring at it and mockingly grinned at each other. It was a dark green coloured, plastic, ring like watch in which the ‘time’ can hardly be seen and which confronted with our professional timings and mannerisms both physically and psychologically. It was a lame watch which is sold at footpath that too for children’s play.
Thinking about his ‘time’ less watch made me feel happy for his tensionless and peaceful life. His smile and his interesting watch made me start a conversation with him. I asked 
him “what is your name?” with a blush he said “Nagaraja madam”. The all curious me, tried to intrigue about his watch and asked him, “nice watch nagaraja, where did you buy?”. To my surprise, he started blushing so much and his face sparkled with bright smile. He could not meet his eyes with mine. I was like “hello, what is going on! What is so special about that watch!” I asked him again, “What nagaraja, did anyone give you that watch?”, his blushing became more and with great difficulty he nodded saying “yes madam”. Well, his innocent blush, his spark in the eyes and bright smile in the face made me understand the story behind. It was actually a gift that he got from his beloved!
The amount of shyness he portrayed in his face and his happiness substantiated his sincere love towards his lady. His smile was so contagious that I almost forgot all my work and tension and a happy aura started filling around. I gave some files to him and asked him to place them in the destination for which he nodded with a smile again and left quickly.
What intrigued me and enlightened me at the same time was his innocence and love for his girl. He is an office boy with a petty salary, he doesn’t know how difficult it is to survive a family within this metropolitan city. He is too childish to gain even the materialistic ‘knowledge’ about lot many things in life. How hard can life treat him! But he doesn’t care about any of these things or in other words he is not even aware of them. He is in love, the pure and innocent form of love which many of us seize to even notice in life!
Well, he is at a loss on many things, starting from the knowledge, power, education, sophistication, money and more. Loss is a loss which I do not deny, whatever it is, he is so happy and contented in life! For a moment I felt ashamed on myself or I should say on ourselves, the so called ‘educated’ and ‘sophisticated’ people. The more we have, the more we gain, the more we crib about things around. It can be anything, I am generalizing today’s generation which is so busy running around multiple things and harsh about achieving ‘goals’ as what we call it, that we forget the delicacies, the intimacies of human relations.
The sophisticated scrutiny stretches to the point on analyzing too many things even while choosing a life partner or any other intimate relationships, which opposes to Nagaraja’s relationship that is beyond all these analysis and calculations. It is just pure love, a delicate love that surpasses the tensed area which I call the ‘urbane culture’. The love which is beyond all the calculations, a pure form of love which retains a naïve, capturing blush, happy feeling and that’s all!
The relationships and the amount of love generated by it is the reality attaining which can take us to reach the divinity. As Sri Sri Ravishankar quotes;
“’Perfection’ is availability of the Divine Love deep within us, of the wholeness of Love deep within us — undying, unshakeable, ever-growing Love deep within us”.
It was evident that, its not only about love but be it any issue in his life, Nagaraja would easily pass that phase without worrying too much on it. A pure love, the innocent happiness and a significant confidence to lead any situation smoothly in life, what else does one require to attain the sublime state?! This is what we learn by great saints, which we realize after reading and knowing a lot! But here is a man who is ‘unaware’ of any such knowledge around him and still leading the similar life that is close to supreme happiness?! This is where I felt, alas, yes, ignorance is bliss! Hmmm! I then came back to my regular office work, though I ‘passed a lot of time’ thinking about this person Nagaraja!
But of course! It is not easy as said, and I didn’t mean that all of us should stop gaining knowledge, or not be focused to achieve our goals and start living like Nagaraja, no! But, what I realized from him was, when such a person without any sorts of materialistic and intellectual belongings can lead a happy life. Why do we, who are moderately a step ahead in all respects when compared to him, analyze so much and crib or feel conceited about issues in life. As Sri Sri says;
“Life is nothing to be very serious about. Life is a ball in your hands to play with. Don’t hold on to the ball”.
Life is precious and blissful and we just need to explore it. We need to learn few, give few, compromise few and most importantly spread happiness by winning the life as it comes!
Well not bad! Nagaraja encouraged me to scrap so many lines! I am not sure how far I am right on this thought, do correct me if I am wrong. This did help me for sure and I hope it does for my friends too and with the same intent I planned to write this note! A note dedicated to Nagaraja, the happy, unnoticed, uncanny guy!
ark and gloomy ones. Good or bad, they are simply thought provoking out of which some are timely, some unwanted and some speculative! Well, before I get into the other details, let me talk about this person called “Nagaraja”, the office boy at my organization. Nagaraja is an unknown, unnoticed and neglected person who hardly is visible and always busy with petty chores at office. A person to whom generally people call with a “hiss” and he attends them with concern and get their works done silently. Fortunately or unfortunately, neither did I care to know his name till date. However, today I had a little work and wanted “that” guy. It was then I realized that I hadn’t even bothered to know his name!
him “what is your name?” with a blush he said “Nagaraja madam”. The all curious me, tried to intrigue about his watch and asked him, “nice watch nagaraja, where did you buy?”. To my surprise, he started blushing so much and his face sparkled with bright smile. He could not meet his eyes with mine. I was like “hello, what is going on! What is so special about that watch!” I asked him again, “What nagaraja, did anyone give you that watch?”, his blushing became more and with great difficulty he nodded saying “yes madam”. Well, his innocent blush, his spark in the eyes and bright smile in the face made me understand the story behind. It was actually a gift that he got from his beloved!
