Rules of Engagement : Bauji

In my story,  I would come back to my father often. He was the same person - a constant in every way. But as I went through stages of my own adulthood, I would observe and learn life's different perspectives from him.

 

With every passing year, I found Bau Ji to be a rare breed of personality: a very religious, truthful, energetic, honest, tireless, contented, but an orthodox man who wouldn't do anything without consulting an astrologer. He cared for his children and was faithful to his principles. His three main principles for running a business were:

1. Akana nahi (अकना नहीं) - don't accept failure as final. Keep trying until you succeed. Don't lose interest.
   
2. Thakna nahi (थकना नहीं )  - work hard and keep going as long as your health allows. Nothing should ever be postponed!
   
3. Jakana nahi (झकना नहीं) - Shed shyness. No matter how talented, rich, powerful, knowledgeable the person you are interacting with is, stay your grounds. Be confident. Never feel intimated.
   

One of Bauji's brother-in-law's, Lala Shadi Lal Jain, was an ultra-rich and well-known industrialist. Additionally, he was the Sharif of Bombay, Maharashtra. While respecting everyone, Bauji didn't allow anyone to stand on a pedestal. In his interactions with the Bombay Sharif, Bauji considered himself equal and unassuming.

His second brother-in-law, Lala Ram Lal Jain from Jammu, was also very wealthy due to inheriting his ancestral property. However, he was a gambler who lost everything and died at an early age, leaving no money for his wife and children. Convenient, huh? Yet again, Bauji extended a helping hand and financed the setting up of a general merchant shop in Jammu for his sister's family. To bootstrap this new business, he negotiated a contract with a manufacturer named Puff Co. to trade talcum powder.

Bauji also took care of his employees. Although one of his workers, Jagdish Lai, was caught stealing money, Bauji still funded his medical procedure.

Babu ji, an honest and hardworking businessman, was a successful wholesale supplier of general merchandise to small shopkeepers. He had a keen eye for purchasing goods at cheaper rates without compromising on quality, which earned him the trust of the market. He spent his weekends preparing for the weekdays, and even though his shop was closed on Sundays, he would take one of us with him to clean it, arrange all the things in the racks properly, take inventory, and place new orders with suppliers.

As a child, I often accompanied Bauji on Sundays and after school, which helped me pick up the art of sales and purchase. However, it also caused me to scramble to finish my homework in time. Despite being illiterate, Bauji maintained all his business accounts in a language called "Lande," which I learned through my desire to decipher customers orders written by Bauji. A small book of basic alphabets of this language helped tremendously.

Bauji would write a daily letter to me when he was in Amritsar, listing new orders to restock the shop inventory, as 75% of the supply came from Delhi. While I idolized my father, I resented the lack of respect he showed for formal education. I even helped him in the shop until 9.00 P.M a day before my final Matriculation exam. Bauji couldn't understand the need to study a day before the exams when a student had the whole year to prepare!

Despite the challenges, I learned valuable lessons from Bauji and followed my own path to pursue education. At the time of writing, I had already completed my studies. I was in Delhi, while my north-star, Bauji, was still in Amritsar.