We had to take in our cycles to the Probikers store on OMR road, Chennai because I couldn’t fit the left pedal correctly. We knew about them as we had rented a Trek bike for four days a couple of years back when I had visited Chennai for work. When we walked in with our bikes they told us the specialist with folding bikes was not available and that we could leave the bikes and collect it the next day. But we wanted to ride the next day, so I told the person in the showroom that he could get us a different set of pedals and we can try and fit those. While we were having this discussion a new guy walked in and immediately took over. The way he fitted the left pedal in exactly one minute and in the first try, it was obvious he was very skilled.
Over the next hour, Murthy worked on both the bikes and tuned them to perfection. It was such a pleasure watching him go after the minute adjustments with such ease, it was like watching an accomplished singer sing or a musician play his instrument of choice. The last time we had seen such expertise was at “Cyclists for life” on Mosque Road, Bangalore. Pavan Muthanna who is one of the co-founders of “Cyclists for life” just loves cycles and does most of the fitting himself, because he doesn’t want to miss tuning yet another cycle :). He taught me how to clean the chain, and got the bike fitted for Krishnan’s upright stance perfectly. Seeing masters at work is always a thrill.
I remember my first brush with mechanical expertise – my father cleaning his Vespa scooter every month. He would pull everything out and put them back together. He sold that scooter for nearly the same price that he bought it for when we left Dehu Road because it almost looked like it came out of a showroom and not 10 years old. Next was Ram Babu, the driver of the 37s route of APSRTC that goes from Kushaiguda to Secunderabad station and was my choice to commute to college. Everyone knew Ram Babu because of his expertise in driving that bus.
Everyone has their special skill and some work so hard that they become better skilled than even those who are “born” with it – I may be upsetting many people with this example, but I am a huge fan of Rahul Dravid’s and his hard work paid off … I think he was a few notches above the Master Sachin Tendulkar, in the craft of batting.
It honestly doesn’t matter what work you do, whether you are a pipe fitter, or a brick layer or a singer or an actor, if you are skilled you will be valued. Yes, there are differences in the money you make in different professions but you will always make more money in your chosen field compared to the lesser skilled person. The emphasis that the present government is putting on skill development is much needed. A skilled India will be valued much more. The products and services that a skilled worker produces will always be of top quality because of his/her abilities.
By the way, the great Master Osho says, creativity is doing whatever you do with complete dedication and mastery, he says you are creative while you mop floors if you do it to the best of your ability and with complete awareness. So, it’s not artists alone who are creative !! A truly skilled mason is also creative… Many such masons built the Taj Mahal and the Mahabalipuram Shore temple, right ?
We have taken Murthy’s number and will seek him every time we want any servicing done on our bikes … And we are ready to go some distance to reach him. That’s what great skill does. Work on becoming the most skilled in your chosen field and see the rich dividends it pays.