The world of Timoth Jose.

Lekha and me had hired a rick to attend the evening's function organised for meeting up with a classmate of mine who was returning to Canada on Sunday. Since imbibing of wines was a distinct possibility I did not want to drive my Cruze and also because the police @ Kochi have been on the vigil to apprehend the offenders of late, I'd decided to go chauffeur driven! And boy, wasn't the ride in the rick a great experience?

Timoth Jose, the owner and driver, was all of 61 yrs, sported a thin, wiry frame and was outgoing and eager to interact. He drove the rick only in the evenings as he tended his automobile workshop during daytime. His running fight with the officials of the Municipal Corporation to get his shanty regularised is slowly bearing fruition! He says that the delay was caused by the simple fact that he did not believe in offering bribes!

He's never been through the portals of a school but has tried every job from scavenging to polishing gems to farming and finally ended up with automobile repairs. He hails from the outskirts of Thrissur but had come and settled down in the city about 14 yrs back. His parents had a huge family, in that, his father had two wives and sired 13 children, out of which he was the 7th from the first marriage. Thanks to the lack of harmony in his father's house, he'd left it disgusted at the tender age of 14 yrs in search of work.

His transit from Thrissur to Kochi was necessitated because he was duped by one of his regular customers at the workshop. And it was at Kochi that he'd fallen in love with a local girl which resulted in marriage and he sired three children out of that liaison - two sons and a daughter, who're well settled, living their own lives and refuse to have anything to do with him. His wife'd left him quite a while back, has married a second time and is happy with her new family.

What was discernible was that he's neither bitter nor does he blame his spate of misfortune on others. Instead, he's a great capacity to laugh at himself and find humour around him! And he says that he's not surprised at the way life has turned out for him because biblically, a person with a name like his was doomed to such a fate!!

I was bowled over by his stoic and zest for life. Here's wishing that god maintains Timoth Jose's optimism for the years to come!