A 'Master Class' called Life

I recently heard what could be an apocryphal story about Nawazuddin Siddiqui from the times when he was struggling to get a break in the film industry. During those days, he was always short of cash and looked for quick ways to make some extra bucks. One day a friend came to Nawaz with a proposal to double money in less than a day. It seemed like a good idea to make fast money, so our man caved in.

Early next morning, instigated by the master strategy, the two friends left for the Dadar Vegetable market. The plan was simple.

Pick up coriander leaves worth a couple of hundred odd rupees (a substantial amount for him at that time).
Split the whole stock into small bunches
Set up a stall near the local station nearby
Sell the coriander to the commuters at a massive 100 per cent margin.
Go back home with double money.

Brilliant!!

By noon, their shop was set up, and the plan was moving along perfectly. Charged with the potential upside to their entrepreneurial endeavour, the two of them started yelling at the top of their voice, marketing their fresh goods to anyone passing by.

Unfortunately, the passing commuters did not share their enthusiasm, and the enterprise died before taking its first breath. The two master salesman failed to sell a single bunch through the day. On top of that, by early evening, they noticed that the herbs were turning black.

In the face of total failure, the friends came up with one final idea to turn the situation around. They decided to throw a tantrum at the suppliers' shop about the quality of the product and get a refund. They immediately packed up and went back to the shop from where they bought the coriander.

The Vendor gave one glance to the returned good and then stared straight into the souls of the two friends for a moment that felt like a lifetime. He couldn't figure out if the guys in front of him were trying to trick him or really had no clue about the business. And after a few more seconds, he gave up. He had better things to do and couldn't bother with a couple of amateurs.

But before he walked away, he retorted, " Of course they turned black. Don't you know you have to sprinkle water on the herbs to keep them fresh? Did you do that even once? Dost, if you want to get into a business, at least take the effort to learn the tricks of the trade."

On realizing their folly, the two friends gave up on their idea to get a refund. They returned home a few rupees short but richer from experience.

The story seems anecdotal, but I still decided to share it anyway as it provides a few important lessons for life.

Actions based on half knowledge can cause more harm than one can imagine. So when investing your time or money, please do your due diligence.
Judging anything at surface value can be dangerous. Missing out on the simplest of information can destroy all your hard work. So pay attention to the minutest details.
Understand the difference between information, knowledge, experience, and expertise. Just because you have the information doesn't mean you have the knowledge/expertise, nor can detailed information replace quality experience.
There are no shortcuts in life. Easy deals to double money are never “Easy”. What seems too good to be true most often is. So when life shows a shortcut, be wary, my friend.

These lessons are interesting, but the most important insight was realizing how these labour intensive professions are not as simple as they may seem. Like any other profession, it takes training, discipline, hard work, and years of experience to succeed. Just because it is in our face and seems obvious doesn't mean it's easy or something that any of us can do effortlessly.