Karanth, a middle-aged fellow from North Kanara, ran a fruit juice joint in an old extension of Bangalore. He always wore a smile and was receptive to customers’ needs.

It was a one man’s show — from taking orders, preparing juice, serving, cleaning and collecting cash. There were cases of customers falling short of cash and Karanth would say, “Never mind, pay it as and when you come this side, next time!”

One day, about 30-40 people came to his shop with court orders for vacating the premises immediately. Apparently, Karanth had some tiff with the building owner over hiking the rent. Even before he came to terms to what was happening, they threw the paraphernalia on the pavement and within no time, the shop was ransacked!

Since Karanth was popular in the area, people came in large numbers after hearing the commotion. They were sympathetic towards his plight but could do nothing. It was surprising to see him calm and unmoved.
People helped him arrange the items, which were strewn pell-mell. Some even assured to find a shop for him in the area, where he could continue his business.

As dusk set, it was opportune time for certain elements to grab whatever they could lay their hands on. Everyone who had gathered there were dumbstruck by the way Karanth stood with clasped hands without any sign of reaction.

The only one precious thing he firmly held on to his chest was the old National Panasonic 3 band radio and cassette recorder with a dozen or so cassettes saying, “This is enough for me to pass my time, which gives the much needed solace.”

However, with the help of sympathisers, over a period of time, he was able to find a suitable and a spacious shop in the same area. The following day, the juice joint was once again razed to the ground and even now there is no building that has sprung up there! Once again, the juice joint owner in question was unmindful of the valuables taken away. I found his serenity amidst penury amazing.