Zen in Apron

At eight o’clock, the train was supposed to leave for Hyderabad, but it was 30 minutes late. I was sitting next to my father, who was gazing out the window of the train.

It was then that my attention was drawn to a child who seemed very excited and curious seeing the trees and buildings outside the window. She told her grandfather that “The earth, the tree, and the building are moving” surprisingly. Hearing this he giggled and replied, “Wow! That’s crazy! Yeah even I could see that darling, but in actuality, they are not moving — we are.” As we are sitting in the train, which is moving fast, the things outside looks like moving backward but in reality, we are moving forward and the objects are still in place.”

On the train, passengers were sleeping, playing cards, reading newspapers, chatting with friends and family members, and listening to music on their mobile phones. Numerous passengers were boarding and departing at several stations along the route, a tea vendor was selling his tea and eateries, and a ticket inspector was inspecting the tickets of the people on the train.

People go to Hyderabad for a variety of purposes, including employment, education, business, entertainment, shopping, and medical treatment. Similarly, we went to Hyderabad for my father’s dental treatment.

In 2006, I visited this clinic for the first time because of my sibling’s dental troubles. Before visiting this clinic, we sought treatment from a nearby dentist in Sedam because he had some minor tooth issues. To defraud us of our money, the dentist mislead us with the idea of therapy and conducted innumerable futile trials on his teeth. It was actually getting worse, not better.

My siblings’ teeth were deteriorating day by day, and new dental problems began to show up. But the dentist, on the other hand, did not appear to be concerned. For months, he’d been making bogus promises, and we were still hoping for the best.

With many patients in my area, he shared the same unethical medical practices, which over time ruined his reputation and led patients to start looking for alternative options.

My mother used to say that doctors are as equal to God as they relieve our sufferings and save our lives. And before I met this dentist, I had always had this belief. He was completely at odds with the philosophy I had been taught and held to.

After going through such experiences and learning about similar wrongdoing by other well-known medical professionals, we lost faith in him and other “specialists”.

But then we heard about Dr. Sunil, a dental therapy specialist. We were so convinced that we decided to give it a shot. When we approached him, he promised us that everything would be OK in a few days and that we should not be concerned.

And, as promised, my sibling’s dental problems were resolved and he was feeling much better than previous. And this happened almost 15 years but he is still doing much better with confidence. Since then, many of my friends and relatives have gone to Dr. Sunil for their oral issues, and they have all been very pleased with his treatment.

Dr. Sunil has always stayed grounded and people-oriented, despite his immense potential. He believed in service and did his best to aid others, which he still does. His calm and easy-going demeanour makes him a pleasure to be around. He maintains the same degree of serenity with each patient. He is very mindful in his every act. He walks gently and quickly, speaks quietly yet effectively, and never appears anxious. Because of his traits, this apron man reminds me of a zen monk.

I believe that what genuinely makes someone “amazing” is their personality, not their position in life, appearance, attire, or skill set.

There are innumerable opportunities to learn if we are open to noticing and appreciating the wonderful traits in the environment around us, from ants to trees to birds to animals to people. The world we live in is full of beautiful instances of wonderful attributes to learn, which, in turn, grows and beautifies our life.

After all, one can live as he pleases. One can live a conscious, helpful life or live as if they haven’t lived at all.

Although leading a disciplined, mindful, selfless, loving, and tranquil life may appear difficult, it is the force behind the splendour and grandeur of human consciousness.

Peace and Love,

Narendra