Saturday, June 6, 2020

THE TALE OF MANI, THE MASON









              

1)  A strange pleasure he found in building homes
     Cementing bricks in patterns grand
     An architectural wonder by builders planned
     With symmetrical arches and domes.

2)  All dimensions he remembered well
     His trustworthy words accepted by all
     He took care not to waste his earnings at all
    Till achieving his goals he worked under spell.

3) He joined as a migrant worker in fact
    Twenty solid years he toiled hard 
    Just for bare wages under the landlord
    Living in dusty sheds suffering a lot.


4) His father too lived as a worker once
    Bearing hefty loads of bricks and stones;
    To sustain his family he took heavy loans
    He drank a lot to drown his tensions.

5)  In drunken stupor he fell from roof
     He lost his leg and his future became
     A sad burden,helpless and lame
     He lost his leg and he had lived aloof.

6)  Mani compelled to work from the age of ten
     Bearing the burden of family entire
     Sacrificing his future dreams and desires
     His mother and sister consoled him often

7)   Putting his heart and soul he did learn
      The art of building with measured plan
      Different models and patterns did he scan
      A sense of trust from builders he won.

8)   He never tried to rise in crafty ways
      Relied on honest work, whatever be the place
      He never cribbed about his troublesome days
     Time changes all—he always says.

9)   With a team of workers did he work and compete
       In construction of many homes and flats
       He lived still in tiled cottage he bought
       He never tried to earn with lies and deceit.

10) Within his means he tried to educate
       His siblings in school, though he learnt nought;
       Whatever he learnt, experience taught
       With friendly attitude he treated his mates.

11)  While other masons swelled with sense of pride
        He never boasted of his skills and ever felt
        A sense of contentment with no regrets
        He felt happy to see others in big mansions reside.

12)  Though others praised his superb building skills
        He never felt bloated with egotistic pride
        He ever regarded elders’ advice as his guide
        He thought himself a novice to learn much more still.

13)  While others grabbed in haste too many tasks
        In selfish hurry with promises false
        Mani true to his words bothered not about loss;
        No extra time and money did he ask.

14)   In raw cotton dhoti he was clad
        With a striped towel wrapped around his head
        Simple meals from home he always had
        No drinking bouts; went home to eat his bread.

15)  His speech was gentle with a rustic slang
       With courtesy he won customers’ hearts
       He turned his work into a work of art
       To seek his advice many builders throng.

16)  His co-workers treated him as architect great
       Though he never higher degrees did not pursue
       His observant eye ever searched for something new
       In spite of growing rich he never forgot his state.

17) He never felt proud of his name and fame
      He always felt happy to help his mates
      He honored his commitments and was never late
      As a trustworthy mason well-known he became.

18) Not hankering after ill-begotten gains
      He toiled hard with due attention to work
      Due credit he got, not mere stroke of luck;
      Love, trust and faith enhance true peace divine.

               ***********************************

     6th June, 2020                                Somaseshu Gutala
  
    
      

         

  
   
     



     

No comments:

Post a Comment