Initiatives

I took an in initiative yesterday without knowing how much it would backfire on me. I decided to seek feedback from readers by posting another blog with just one liner that contained a request for feedback.  Apart from a few sparks here and there, there was no much response. It backfired to some extent. However, it was not all that bad. I hadn’t got any response which sounded like “stop this non-sense”! With no choice left, I decided to look and analyse the data where it is available – like a drunken man searching for his keys under the lamppost because light is better there! Luckily I was not drunk amd the key was found under the light. And I am convinced, I should continue writing.

So, today let me discuss about “taking initiative” itself.

I was living in the outskirts of the city in a layout which was ever-developing. Usually in such areas, it was necessary to have a residents’ welfare association to take care of basic amenities, which was not the main focus of the civic authorities.  We had one association too. “I have a brilliant idea” the president of the association announced one fine day.  I knew very well whenever president of any such voluntary association makes such a statement that means a lot of work for the members. I was not wrong. 

Residents were struggling to buy vegetables by traveling to a far-off market. So the president suggested that four of us could go to city market on Sunday mornings every week, procure sufficient quantities of vegetables at wholesale rate and sell to the residents on a marginal profit. People would get better vegetables at a reasonable rate; the association could raise funds for filling the potholes on the road and replacing the fused street lights. 

That Sunday four of us set off to the city market in one of our vehicles at 5 AM. We found carrots and drumsticks damn cheap, so we bought large quantities. End of the day, rest of the residents got all the carrot and we four ended up in getting all the stick – drumsticks !! Since drumstick was abundantly available from trees in many of the relatives’ backyards, that too free of cost, nobody bothered to buy it from us. That whole week at home, we four of us had drumstick curry, drumstick fry, sweet and sour drumstick, drumstick tikka…it went on, it was a “drumstick week” for us. It followed by pumpkin week, which made us abruptly end that initiative, else four of us would have been hospitalised soon for not having adequately balanced diet!! The potholes on the road stealthily grew larger and larger, I seriously doubt that it might have been at a much faster pace during night in the absence of street light!

The other day I was at the veterinary clinic to have vaccinations for my dogs. As I was waiting a couple came in. The husband had a small kid in his hands and the wife was holding a basket which contained a small puppy. I took initiative to have a conversation with them, thinking that if at all a “pet owners association” is formed in the future, I can count on these people voting for me to the president of that association. Then I too can say "I have a brilliant idea" ! “How old is he?” I asked the husband pointing at the puppy in the basket. “It is not he, it is a she !” sudden reply came from him before he quickly got back to original tight-lipped state. I did not want to give up. I asked, “she must be happy playing with the puppy” pointing at the kid who had long hairs. He opened up again just to tell me “not she, he is my son”. I gave up! This was one of the rarest occasions I failed miserably in distinguishing between a he and a she, that too twice in quick succession!

Initiatives may not take off, can fail and can backfire. Examples I had given above are simple ones just to highlight that point. However, those who have gone through failures also know very well that in many other numerous occasions they could take the initiative to a complete success. Do take more initiatives, it can do more good than harm.