Dhaniram as usual was having a very hectic day. Serving tea and snacks to the people in the conference room had its jitters. Team meetings were becoming a regular facade for the corporate hotshots. The growing cases of customer dissatisfaction were the talk of these team meetings almost every day in this electrical appliances manufacturing company. This meant more tea and discussions to improve the quality of the product. The bad customer feedback was becoming a topic of concern and official meetings generated more panic and stress. Hot beverages acted as elixirs. Dhaniram was beckoned by many to do the honors. Everyone loved his tea and he knew it.

Circumstances had got Dhaniram to start earning very early in life. When kids his age had only school-related issues Dhaniram was struggling for a morsel of nutrition. To raise himself he started serving tea to people in his locality dhaba, a small food joint, with limited resources. The owner of the dhaba was kind enough to teach him how to make tea. Whenever he fell sick Dhaniram filled in for him and the business was unaffected. Gradually it was all becoming a routine and time spent in the kitchen bettered his prospects of a delicious tea maker. Practice makes a man perfect and 12 years were enough to make him an expert in his village Sitapur, a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. At the age of 16, he realized it was time to expand his horizons so he moved to Delhi, the capital of India to improve his situation.

Dhaniram saw Delhi as a fortuitous opportunity when he was offered to work as a tea maker/provider for an electrical appliances company by one of the customers who frequented the dhaba. The summer of 2010 had turned out lucky for him, he had just turned 18 and things were looking good. The phase of sleeping on the bench of dhaba was all set to be behind him. The company provided a servant’s quarter. For the first time ever Dhaniram was genuinely happy. The relocation was easy. He had a cook, guard, gardener, electrician as well as a driver as roommates. Over the months he became the confidant of almost everyone but he stayed aloof from sharing things. God was his best friend, parent as well as solace.

Pretty soon Dhaniram became the blue-eyed boy of many. His employers were happy with him. Clients always asked for a double round of tea whenever they paid their visits. Money from tips was flowing. Little chit chats while serving tea was routine now. People liked it when he was around. This meant a lot to him. This appreciation used to make his day. His eyes beamed whenever someone remarked, ‘Tea is A-one as usual Dhani.’ Delhi gave him a nickname and he loved it. Back in Sitapur, he was loved too but Delhi was becoming a different ball game altogether. Professionals behaved like professionals with him. He was taken seriously and was not ridiculed or made fun of for his shortcomings.

Dhaniram was able to hear but he was unable to speak. He used to show his gratitude through his smile and mini salutes. His dark world had started to light up. People missed him whenever he took leave for himself. A leave meant making a mini trip to the places he had yet to see in Delhi. Nasty people did try to ruin his day when they never got a response if they asked something but people with a heart of gold respected his existence. This meant hope. Hope for acceptance. Accepting him as he was sent to Earth. Maybe his handicap may have been the reason why his parents left him at birth. They may have seen him as a burden in poverty. These thoughts emitted a tsunami of anger that none could ever see.

Initial years were very very hard for him. Kids his age poked fun and joked about his predicament. Many times he wished all of them dead but the good in him that lay within always fought such thoughts. He felt he was gifted and reconciled with the fact that he was a fighter and survivor when his own parents disowned him. Had he been with them everything provided would have been a huge favor and he would never have been able to repay them. He felt glad at the thought that he was a self-made person from a very very young age. God was guiding him all along and people were sent on his path to realize his calling. The dhaba owner Raju was a guardian angel and he was thankful to him and God for so so many reasons now.

The eighteenth year of his life gave him things and people that made him believe in his true calling, his true potential of making delicious normal, masala, lemon, and ginger tea. He had no voice but his talent spoke for itself. This was enough to make him feel alive, wanted, and loved. His childhood sweetheart too was a victim of fate. She was blind but could hear and speak. He had sent word to come to Delhi and be with him. Sushma had agreed to his wish and was thinking of relocating to Delhi with her parents who were cobblers. Being August it was raining incessantly. In October the same year, they were to attend a wedding of a relative. Dhaniram was looking forward to meeting her sweetheart. He was so happy that he wished if he was to die today he would give in happily.

In a couple of hours rain had started to pour mercilessly. Strong winds lashed the city. Thunder and lightning made it all look so scary. Dhaniram loved the rainy season. After dinner, he retired to the terrace of the building to feel it all. Water droplets on the leaves had their own music. The cold wind ignited the romantic side of him. He started dancing and looked up to the sky. He smiled and felt the heavy rain on his face. He was healed. The past years and the sadness they generated were out of his system. This job helped him let go of all the past hurt and anguish. He was finally free from inner discomfort. There was peace and satisfaction. Suddenly a cloudburst was so strong that his eyes blazed and hit him without any notice. His wish it seemed was granted by God – his everything.

What luck!