In the diwali vacation, Jayant and his couple of friends had gone to
Delhi.
They rented a taxi for local sight-seeing. The driver was an old Sardar,
and boys being boys, Jayant and his pals began cracking Sardarji jokes,
just to insinuate the old man.
But to their surprise, the fellow remained unperturbed.
At the end of the sight-seeing, they paid up the hire-charges. The
Sardar returned the change. Moreover, he gave each one of them one rupee
extra and said, (in Hindi, of course),
''Son, since morning you have been telling Sardarji jokes. I listened to
them all and let me tell you, some of them were in a very bad taste.
Still, I don't mind coz I know that you are young blood and are yet to
see the world. But I have just one request. Here I am giving you one
rupee each. Give it to the first Sardar beggar that you come across in
this city."
Jayant continued," That one rupee coin is still with me. I couldn't find
a single Sardar begging on the streets of Delhi."
Friends, we all love sardar jokes. But the fact of matter is that Sikhs
are one of the most prosperous and diversified communities in the world.
The secret behind their universal success, according to me, is their
willingness to do any job with utmost dedication. A Sardar will drive a
truck or set up a roadside garage or a dhaba, but he will never beg on
the streets.
"Life is what we make it. Always has been, always will be."