“I have been trying to make them
understand about this code, but they are not getting it” I was frustrated,
talking to myself.
In a flash, a light appeared from
a corner of the room and a heavy voice said, “This will tell you” and a small
round yellow color ball type thing rolled towards me and stopped right at my
feet.
Any guesses of what it was?
“What do you mean?”
“Follow me and you will see.”
The light became brighter, so
bright that I couldn’t see anything and *woosh* in split seconds, I saw a man
wearing dhoti-kurta, shouting, “Lemons! Lemons! Lemons for free…” in the middle
of the road.
“Where am I?” I wondered, and why
am I here and who is he? My curiosity made me stick to the man, walk step by
step with him; I was destined to learn a lesson that day.
The lemon seller’s cart had a peculiar
slogan, “Take as many lemons as you want, after you tell me what you would do
with them”.
#1
The first person came by, saw the
slogan and said, “Give me 5, I’ll make a lemonade!”
Ah! Exactly what I would have
done, and I guess everyone else too! When life give you lemon, you make a
lemonade. Isn’t it?
Before this thought could get out
of my head.
#2
There came the second person,
“In life I have always wanted
this to happen. Always!” he continued soberly.
“You know why? Because this is
the way life is… the nature of each human.” he continued with his philosophy
and then turned to the lemon seller and said “Lemons! I want two and I’ll Make
orange juice and leave the other’s wondering how the hell I did that! That will
be epic! Isn’t it?”
Uh! Did I just hear that? Orange
juice out of lemons? Alright! That is something really interesting. I don’t
know what to call that guy. A philosopher maybe. My eagerness was now growing
to see who else was in store.
#3
When the third person saw these
lemons for free, he jumped out of joy! I wondered if he saw diamonds there.
“Lemons for free! Give me 20, Ill
keep them because hey, Free Lemons!”
I could instantly relate them to people
who we meet every day in office, browsing through various websites, like they
are reading a newspaper, looking at every minute detail of what is going on the
screen and then comes that eureka moment – “I got a coupon for cashback on
Paytm!”. It did not stop there.
#4
And then I saw somebody in red
pants moving towards the lemon seller.
“Can I get 1 lemon?” She took it,
bit it. Made a funny face. Clicked a selfie and left.
The crazy creatures! I wondered. The
kind, who live life to the fullest, and find happiness in all the small things
that they do. I never imagined that
lemons could mean so much in life.
I was occupied with my own thoughts,
when another person came near the lemon seller.
#5
“Hey! I want 4 lemons!” and he
started searching his bag. Finding nothing fruitful there, he turned to the
lemon seller and said, “Do you have tequila and salt too?”, he added.
That is where I wondered, if the
demand was for a party or a sober on-the-table discussion.
Do you realize how small my
speech would have become if everyone would asked for lemons to make lemonade?
Or just oranges?
And how small our lives would
have become if everyone thought alike? I was feeling happy, thinking about all
those people, who make life different; who create experiences; who live
differently. It’s necessary. Isn’t it? I thought I have seen all kind of people
in life; when this man with big round spectacles on his face comes up to the
lemon seller.
#6
“Can you give me 6 lemons? I have
a project to construct a crude electrochemical battery.”
Electro what? With lemons? I was
still confused, trying to figure out the electro stuff when the lights flashed
straight on my eyes again. I went blank for a few seconds.
I was in the same room, from
where it all started. The voice became loud and said “Now you see! Why
everybody is important and why everybody has their own value? Remember one
thing, everybody is unique” and the voice phased out.
I stood up, with my hands in my
pocket; only to realize, I have 2 lemons in my pocket too.
I wondered, what I would do with
them!
