Proper Samosa!

23rd Oct 2021, Ghaziabad:

I had gone out to purchase a few samosas (deep-fried, high on calories, potato-filled white flour snack)- a must for my wife when we are visiting her home. So after the typical wait time and surreptitiously placing my order before others, I waited as the white flour gradually turned brown, mouth salivating with the masala flavored smell. 

Let me explain a typical "halwai (sweets, savories, etc.)" shop in this part of the country. You have one guy rolling the dough and handling the fillings, another guy manning the wok, and a third guy (usually a kid), bagging them as per customers' orders. In this shop, the kid looked around 14-15, expertly handling the cash and change. I was next in line when the lady tripped over and sent her purse flying towards the kid. He promptly picked it up, helped the lady up, and gave it back to her. In the whole commotion, I picked up my package, waited as the lady finished her transaction, and paid for my four samosas. 

I reached home after five mins, welcomed by three eagerly waiting faces- no not for me, but the delicious samosas. My wife opened the bag, and exclaimed- "Why have you brought so many?". I was impressed, four is many now! great for my finally weight-conscious wifey! But to my surprise, there were around 10 samosas in the bag, instead of the 4 that I had purchased. I realized that I had mistakenly picked up that lady's bag, and under the distraction, the young kid had also missed it!

Image courtesy: https://www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/rude-food-by-vir-sanghvi-the-thousand-year-old-samosa/story-WY2QOq4K2QbgJgd2hcj0GO.html

Me being me, the first reaction was guilt. How could I not have checked! Why did I pick the bag myself, were my initial thoughts. We then promptly decided to not touch the entire bag, and I will go back to the shop and return them. So I sped back, feeling happy with a quick decision, doing the right thing, and so on. I reached the shop, to a sight that prompted this post.

The kid looked morose, as the owner was berating him. He had made a "significant" loss, the lady had ordered twenty and since I had taken the bag containing ten, they could only give her the remaining ten samosas. She had thus paid for the ten only, I had paid for four, effectively causing a loss of six samosas to the owner. I cannot describe the kid's expression on seeing me! That feeling of relief, the feeling of being saved and whatnot was evident. I went up to the owner, apologized for my mistake, told him that I had brought back the entire lot and we can pay for the entire lot if required. I had expected the owner to agree to this- why should he bear a loss? 

To my surprise, however, the owner mellowed down instantly. He appreciated my coming back, and took the bag from me. He then offered me my four samosas from a fresh lot! I was impressed by the man's gesture- he could easily have asked me to pay for the entire lot, which had caused him a loss. But the next thing he did, made my day- he went up to the kid, gave him a pat on his back, and said, "Two things you need to learn from this. One, mistakes will happen, but always double-check. Second, there are good people in the world- respect them!"

In the business-minded, self-centric world, the owner, with that small, insignificant yet mindblowing gesture, showed me what goodwill means. I did the right thing, by going back with the package to him. He, however, did three amazing things. Firstly, he showed amazing customer mania by giving me a fresh lot. I don't know whether he would sell off the old lot, probably he will, but his gesture had me hooked as a loyal customer. Second, he was kind to the kid- and "mentored" him for the future. Lastly, and most importantly, with ten small words, he made sure the kid will never forget the importance of being good, of doing good! 

The kid is at that age where his character will be shaped by his experiences. He saw a great example of honesty, accepting mistakes, and kindness in 10 mins. I hope, the kid appreciates the experience and does good in the future. We live in a strange world. There are philanthropists, who are doing beautiful things- treating humans, animals, with kindness and going out of their ways to make someone's life better. There are people who (bless them), prioritize their benefits, self-interest over anything else.  You can be either- there is no question or right or wrong. What's important is, that life offers you these small chances, to do good, to be good. Be on the lookout for them, it can be something simple as offering water to someone, not honking, not looking at the phone when someone is talking to you, which can, in turn, have a small yet significant impact on someone! Being kind doesn't need effort, it only needs intent. 

Be kind, whenever possible. It is ALWAYS possible!