THE ERRAND BOY

 THE ERRAND BOY

 A common occurrence is the inevitable [entity? Person? /personality?] denomination-the errand boy. Truly, they represent a denomination –not easy to avoid or dispense with –no matter how determined is one in keeping them at bay. Yes, some well-placed officials do not deem it right to engage the voluntary service extended by such ‘ready-to-oblige’ youth christened “the errand boy[s]”.

By the way who these errand boys are?. Does anyone feel informed enough to provide data about such youth who wield substantial influence across the social spectrum encompassing the likes of the district collector, the superintendent of Police, the Headmaster of the local school, the automobile mechanic, not to forget the local astrologer who keeps predicting   doom for humanity that does not seem to include himself.

He revels in lavish portrayal of ‘the doom-to be’, something round the corner so vivid in his perception to destroy all humans across the globe. Despite ‘the doom imminent’ the astrologer keeps requests to the errand boy to fetch his  weekly quota of freshly made “snuff”-the stuff  that readily breaks global silence by a high decibel “brischa brischa” noise letting loose the nasal congestion –a typical associate of men astrologers. So, one may keep predicting fortune for all others while his own hinges heavily on the errand boy’s mercy for keeping the supply chain to the astrologer intact.

For all practical reckoning, the errand boy is treated rather light, for, he never seeks or waits for any favour befitting the service rendered by him. Rarely does one see or hear of errand boys’ demanding compensation or wages of any kind. Yet, they keep running errands, for the sheer joy of an ever expanding ambit of friends who drop into the town for an event –domestic or religious. For every such visitor it is the errand boy who is the public relations manager for upkeep of all routines including for the journey back to his /her work place.

Errand boys do not claim any education worth the name but with no fear of any authority they mightily traverse all corridors of power irrespective the activity there in. They simply walk into the commissioner’s chamber and get papers signed on the dotted line.  It may sound odd, but the officials too well know the permeating skills of the errand boys, and permit their self-less approach to help others  so as to wield a hold over their services to be availed of for any personal requirements later [for themselves].

A unique orientation of such errand boys is that they step in at the most appropriate  moment and willingly undertake to perform such chores as filling water to utensils, leave a set of phone numbers of hotels,  municipal commissioner, post office besides their own even if unsolicited.

So, the cheap looking boy is not dispensable but inevitable for a timely help to all. Let us be kind to them.      

Tireless is the best-fit name for such errand boys.