Many of my associates, mainly homemakers, are engaged in miscellaneous part-time businesses, selling things like China crockeries, colourful scented candles, jewelleries, and saris, curated from all corners of the country. For most of them, barring a few exceptions, the mantra is, “All is fair in business and trade!” So, like all other business persons, their prime agenda lies in peddling and palming off their wares, without pettifogging with products’ quality details. 

Slowly, even I got to behold businesses, in case bereft of deceits, are bound to head for baleful body-blows. So, ‘culpability of trifle cheating or chicaneries’ in trade circuits, could somewhat be condoned by clients, I reconciled. 

But, a recent incident, remarkably reversed my rigid views regarding business folks. Having a great penchant for pretty jewelleries, I patronise some popular jewellery outlets. In that, there is this shop, housing a panoply of prepossessing jewels – a perfect haven for those with proclivity for profoundly ornate pieces. 

On that particular day, the proprietor’s son, was holding the fort, as his father was out of town. What had always appealed to me about this youngster was his affable disposition, his alacrity, and abundant efforts in making all his clients amply happy with their acquisitions. That day, I was to procure a silver pendant, on which I had persistently haggled over the prices the previous week. When I handed him the pre-fixed amount, I was really perplexed to receive back few currencies of hundred! The reason: the see-sawing silver prices had slightly sunk that week! I was swamped by both shock and surprise, seeing his sincerity and singular business ethics. 

Naturally, I was inundated by déjà vu, as I recalled, years ago, the young man’s father had exhibited an exactly similar exquisite gesture. Even on that day, when I tried paying the amount, which had already been quoted the precious month, for a pearl neckpiece, I was pleasantly surprised to get back a couple of precious thousands, as coincidentally, the gold prices had plummeted that time, too. 

As I went back home, I began reflecting. The young man had indeed inherited his father’s irreproachable honesty. Indubitably, children are incredible mirror reflections of their parents. Right from infant days, they seem to imbibe parents’ ideologies and invaluable values, which tend to get indoctrinated and internalised in them, forming their innate/intrinsic quality. After all, chips of old blocks!