The Role Model

The Role Model

4 mins
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It was a glorious morning in late August 1965, warm and sunny, after a 48-hour consistent downpour at Navy Nagar, Colaba - the southernmost tip of Mumbai. The sprawling campus of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) basking in the early sun rays looked calm and serene, with the Arabian Sea lapping its feet along the western boundaries and a soft breeze floating over from the east. Though the atmosphere within the campus looked peaceful, presence of heavy para military troops was evident outside – spread across numerous security posts in a 3-kilometer radius all around the campus.


It was nearly 8.00 am, when a distinguished looking gentleman arrived at the entrance of TIFR. Of average build, middle aged, with hair naturally parted in the center, Dr. Homi Jahangir Bhabha, the Director and Founder member of TIFR, seemed deep in thought as he proceeded to enter through the last security check.


The admin officer on duty rushed to greet him, and escorted him to the lift in the main building, which would take him to his 4th floor cabin facing the Arabian Sea. Today was a big day at TIFR, with a high level meeting scheduled urgently, to be attended by VVIPs, viz. the Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri; Home and Defense ministers and high profile dignitaries from the Indian National Congress; Air force, Military and Naval commanding officers and a few senior scientists from TIFR. A war was afoot with Pakistan and India’s war tactics and nuclear readiness was to be reviewed for strategic decisions. A little pre-occupied, Dr. Bhabha entered the lift and absently drew his finger around the buttons panel, something he had grown habitual to. But his heart was clearly set on other matters.


Patrick, as usual was on duty at the reception area. In his late twenties, short-stature, clad in half pants and a white shirt, one of his jobs was to keep the lifts spotlessly clean. Patrick was uneducated and a little hard of hearing with below average intelligence. However, he knew by observation that Dr. Bhabha always runs his finger around the lift’s operating panel, or inside the brass plate fittings to check for dust. Patrick would therefore meticulously scrub and clean all the fittings in the lift to make it shine like gold, and ensure it stayed sparkling bright all through the day. And sometimes, he would be rewarded with a word of appreciation by Dr. Bhabha. His joy knew no bounds then, with ecstasy clearly reflecting in his honest, glowing face.


The day wore on. The meeting started at 9.30 am sharp and got extended till late evening next day. The skirmishes on Indo-Pak border had grown pretty serious, with the scales turning one way or the other, and almost every one of the attendees had inputs and experiences to share. It took 2 full days of deliberations to draw a road map, define strategy and chalk out action plan. The blueprint was ready. All that was needed now, was perfect co-ordination and smooth implementation. Dr. Bhabha, in his concluding speech, wished to highlight the importance of sincerity, diligence and perfect execution – and that’s when he remembered and quoted the example of Patrick D’costa – the lift cleaner.


Work is worship, people say. Patrick had turned his routine, boring job of cleaning lifts into almost a ritual. Day in and day out, he would repeatedly scrub and clean the four lifts in both the TIFR building blocks, till he saw a clear reflection in the brass fittings. Even a tiniest of smudge or a stray fingerprint anywhere in the interior would send him scuttling down to get his cloth and wipe it clean.


While quoting this example, Dr. Bhabha said, “Look at Patrick! An uneducated, half-witted boy – but with a passion to bring out his best, even in the most mundane tasks assigned to him. Each one of us can learn a lot from his example. If all of us did our jobs as diligently with total dedication like him, no country in this world can beat India. If we work like Patrick, we can win any war!”

The delegates on their way out, were paying special attention to Patrick now. Little did he know however - what transpired in the meeting room; that he was put on the pedestal as a role model. He was busy doing his job scrubbing away and cleaning the lifts to keep them spic and span, for his most revered “Baba Sir”.


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