Auto'cracy of good will

You’ve most probably heard of the age-old adage, “Paying it forward.” Varijashree Venugopal, a popular city-based independent musician got a taste of the ‘live and learn’ proverb early this week – on a positive note, through a helping hand from a samaritan autorickshaw driver in the nick of time! Her Facebook post on ‘a random act of kindness’ by an auto driver, during her recent visit to Hyderabad, has egged her on to spread the need for dignity of labour. And, it is viralling on social media. The young Bengalurean, who will be performing at the famed International Jazz Day Festival curated by acclaimed artiste, Louis Banks in Mumbai on April 30, gets chatty with Bengaluru Chronicle.

“To be frank, I believe positive experiences and testing times are different sides of the same coin. While, as a society, we’ve gotten convenient with cribbing about auto-wallahs, the biggest takeaway from the incident is how being inundated with hardcore negatives often takes away the very essence of dignity of labour of many professions today. And that of an auto driver or a bus conductor tops the list,” shares the 26 year old vocalist and flautist.  

The incident dates back to a rather harrowing day, on April 11, where the young artiste was out on a visa interview.  A rather strange situation ensued, Varijashree was short of Rs 3,000, required to forward her visa proceedings. While she moved about frantically in search of an ATM machine to dispense out the cash, every booth seemed to be shut. Only to be engulfed in a panic stricken mode. “The fees for the proceedings were Rs 5,000, and I just had about Rs 2,000 in hand. I desperately needed the money, so I went to the extent of asking grocery stores if they could dispense some cash from the ATM machine. But in vain. Seeing me hound and try my luck at all the shops nearby, Baba, realised my plight and offered to hand over the balance amount of '3,000 to a total stranger. There was absolutely no guarantee that I would return him the money, but at that juncture, all he wanted to do was to help me. And that came  as an eye-opener as I realised that it’s often the stereotypes which form a popular opinion. It’s high time we don’t categorise people on the basis of their profession. And sharing benevolent experiences on social media is the best platform to make a difference,” she says.

The incident being a stark example of how random acts of kindness never go unrequited, saw an instant update by Varijashree on her Facebook profile, only to garner over 20,000 plus reactions and 5,700 shares and counting. “This instance has also egged me on to be more vocal about feel-good experiences that often go unnoticed,” adds the Bengaluru lass, who has performed at over 3,000 concerts worldwide.

While making music with strings of carnatic, classical and Indian presented in a world music set-up remains her repertoire, Varijashree lets us in on her other interests. “I’ve always had a thing for handlooms, handicrafts and all things handmade. I’m a big foodie too, and would love to pen down my love for grub if I ever get the time,” she mentions. With a concert on the anvil, the zesty city lass is excited. “With music, the days are indeed packed. I look forward to taking my love for music and on-stage performances through this world music gig. But, I hope to nudge people to think and thank more often, especially on days when things are fine.”