Jadoo ki Jhappi (The magical hug)

The smile which makes his pale crumpled white skin fall gently over his cheeks never fail to make my lips go round and say, “Cho chweet.” This is Dmitri, our office attendant. Loves to greet me as ‘young lady’ and hates people who hog on junk. Dimitri often thinks he is being listened to when is goes didactic to people who don’t wash up after their use at the pantry. His ripe old age is no hindrance to his work and he always sees to it that the office balcony garden and kitchen is every sparkling. Every time I see him, my heart wants to call him ‘tatha’. But, you know no one really wants to be called that here, irrespective of being the proud seeds of generations of off springs carrying their genes.

Dimitri always reminded me of the hospital attendant in ‘Munna Bhai’, who is always grumbling about people treading on the floor immediately after his mop swabbed it. And then one fine day Munna Bhai gives him a much deserved magical hug, which motivates and credits all his hard work. I wondered if this man too wished for similar praise and pamper.

I always thought why the poor old man has to come to work at this age. Stating the obvious reason as money, I often thought, how happy he would look, playing with his grand children at home or reading a book on a rocking chair with a hot cuppa, instead of washing mugs and plates here. One afternoon — to avoid burdening the old man — I was washing my own coffee mug when I heard Dimitri call me from behind, “Young lady, what fruit would you fancy? Apples or pears? I looked around and he stood there with a huge basket of glossy fruits while his eyes smiled trough the thick pair of glasses. “From where are these,” I asked him. “Oh, they are from my garden. I live in a bungalow with a garden full of trees. My trees bear so much that they often fall and turn into manure. So I just dump them in my car and bring it to office for people to relish.

For a second I thought if he had won a lottery. Guess this is the best part of this side of the world. No dignity of labour and no waste of time. Everyone loves to work and it’s not just for the money. “A bungalow and a miniature tree farm in the heart of London! This sure puts Dimitri in the list of the rich guys of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Perhaps he must be Lakshmi Mittal’s neighbour (same area you know), “ I thought. And now, reeling in recession I was the one badly in need of the Jadoo ki Jhappi. Anyone?