Samosa

It has been 4-5 weeks and I haven’t written anything. I don’t know why but I wasn’t feeling like writing or talking about anything. May be because destiny wanted me to wait till today.

Today something happened and I couldn’t stopped myself expressing it. This incident has blew my mind. I don’t know how to react. Should I be happy or sad or proud.  It touched my soul and not only that but it changed me for a whole life.

So, I am at my hometown since vacations are going on. Monsoon is here and weather is too good to have ‘Samosas’ (Monsoon’s Mandatory). I was at my friend’s place and she told me about a new amazing samosa place near her house. I was already hungry (nothing new) and my mouth just started watering as hell as I heard about samosas because samosas are not just a food item it’s more a kind of feeling. I hurried off to that place because she told me that he (samose wale bhaiya) only sells samosas from 5 to 6 pm only and his samosas are so delicious that it finishes till 5:30 only. I was imagining of a big sweet shop where a fat, bald and half naked halwai was making the number of samosas in big kadhai and there will be people in a line shouting for their turn but…   As soon as I reached the shop there was not a shop. What I mean it was totally opposite from my imagination what I saw and for a moment I was depressed. I saw there was man of around 27 or 28 years and he was selling the samosas and vegetables in a small Cart . It was not even a cart but a small wooden table. There was a shed which he has made himself by erecting 4 wooden poles and a black polythene sheet over them to protect the vegetables and samosas from rain or dust. There was little space behind his counter where he cleaned that area and leveled it perfectly with the cow dung. There I saw his Kadhai and some utensils and beside his 2-3 months baby was sleeping. Overall his shop was so small to be noticed until someone tells you. It took me few seconds to notice all these things when man asked me seeing standing silently- ‘’Ji didi, kaun si  sabzi dedu? I thought may be his samosas will be unhygienic and what kind of oil he is using so I told him nothing. He said- ‘’Didi garam garam samose bhi banata hu main, le lijiye, kuch hee bache hai bas.’’ The man was so sweet that he started convincing me to take samosas but I was really unsure about the hygiene thing and went back to my friend’s place. I told her all this and she told me something which shivered me inside out. She told me that man used to sell only vegetables initially but his wife died as soon as she delivered a baby. To now manage the house and expenses, he started selling samosas in order to earn more for his baby. He make only 30 samosas for a day which is only bought by them who lives nearby and who knows about it. People who come to buy vegetables he use to tell them about his new samosa business and this is how he advertise it. I was paralyzed for a moment. I was not able to response. How can destiny be so cruel with somebody? A poor man, hardly running his family at a bare subsistence level and then something happened even worse. I was having a mixed feeling of number of emotions at that time. Should I be happy that his business is running well and he has managed to get himself up from his situation. Should I be sad on his helplessness and poverty or should I be proud of seeing such a brave man who is struggling so hard just to earn more money to secure his baby’s future. I think destiny plays an essential role. Where I see people with hell lot of money, travelling abroad in a business class, wearing the costliest brands, eating in a 7 star hotels and on the other hand there are some people who are hardly earning their livelihood. I know you cannot blame destiny for all the things but sometimes it doesn’t even give you a chance or choice.     

And then I again went back to that same shop and bought all the left samosas. I wanted to say a lot of things to him but all I could do is thanked him. I came to home and immediately unpacked the samosas and the  green coloured chutney he gave me with it. As soon as I had a bite something happened which I think has changed me for a whole life. That samosa was so delicious but more than enjoying its taste I can feel the struggle of a father, pain of a husband of losing his life, love and hope that he has mixed with that samosa which is making it a best samosa of the world for me.

I have changed my one view from today that these roadside street food items might be unhygienic but it is okay to have some sometimes because these small carts are the only means of livelihood for that people and what is better than contributing in making someone’s life better.