"The rough diamonds"

The episode of the chai wala, a young cat-eyed boy working on wages at a tea café, invited mixed responses from the viewers both nationally and internaionally. Some sections of the society hailed it as positive step simply because a poor guy’s financial status got improved and he was evolved to his niche on the dint of his charming appearance, whereas others slaked, and termed it as the media’s usual bid for ratings and sensationalism. Objectively speaking it could be reckoned as an assertive action on part of the media. However, the worrying bit is the sheer dearth of the lesson learned out of the episode.

The common interpretation of the story is that the guy by the dint of his charming looks deserved to be a model or actor in the show business rather than a wage earner at the tea café, the guy was inducted into his deserving field and the thing is over. This indeed is a disturbing outcome of the episode, and points to a high level of societal indifference and lack of the critical and investigative vision. The episode should have been interpreted as realization of the fact that the society abounds in the ilk of the cat-eyed guy, who could be better players in all walks of life. What is needed is lack of the ventures aiming at such discoveries.

It is an established fact that Man does not born with predetermined qualities of being a talented and genius ,good-natured (with minor exceptions) or evil-inclined, but is the society around him which influences him and moulds his character accordingly. The environment and opportunities around him lick him in either way. Those who are entitled to opportunities make their marks; those deprived of the due opportunities become part of the downtrodden sections of the society.

A critical glance at the workplaces around us, such as workshops, hotels, factories, and other industrial units, reflects the sheer availability of rough diamonds working as apprentices or wage earners. They may possess numerous talents but needs a little effort to get their potentials polished and bring them forth as finished products.

The episode of the chai wala should have been taken as the beginning of a venture which aims at the discoveries of the hidden potentials and rough diamonds present around us. It should have been an unceasing venture of talent hunt bringing the rough diamonds to the their proper niche not on the base of appearance only, but the various type of deft and genius they possess. It should have not been taken as a single episode ending with induction of the cat-eyed guy into the field. The worrying bit again is the lack of lesson learnt on part of the public.