Happy Ugadi!

I wish I could call him something other than 'Garbage Waala Uncle', but I don't know his name. I should ask. He works in my apartment and is probably one of the nicest people I know.

Today, I wished him 'Happy Ugadi' and his mouth widened into a grin. He started thanking and blessing me, his eyes not meeting mine, but the joy on his face obvious. This was not the first time he had acted like this. The last time, I had inquired after his family, and perhaps had wished them all the best or something, but I remember the same delight on his face, the way he started muttering under his breath, blessing me.

The security guard uncle outside the grocery store, Ahmed Bazar, acts much the same way, smiling every time I thank him or wish him.

It makes me wonder... These people are happy with the smallest things in life. And it leaves me feeling bittersweet. How much attention do they really get? How much are they acknowledged in daily life? Their whole social status, probably their view of themselves, is determined by their job and how it is ranked in the social ladder.

In the US, I think, it would not have been so. Whether a person is a maid, a babysitter, or a businessman, they make sure they are recognized. They raise their voices if they aren't.

These people around me, they are probably the most humble people I know. To be acknowledged is a great thing for them, to be treated as an equal, even more so. And yet, they are the strongest. They provide a lot to the society and they ask for so little.

The tradition of Ugadi is to eat something both bitter and sweet. And these people, make our lives that much sweeter.