La vita è bella

For most part of our life, we run after things that do not last. We run after ‘jobs that pay the rent’; women/men that break our heart and money that doesn’t last. What we do not realize is that we walk through an entire lifetime without spending much time appreciating the gift of “one life” that we have got. Guilty- as charged! Well I am as much a culprit as you all are. Somewhere down the line, we lose focus of the whole point of “living” and spend a lot of time running from one goal to another. Don’t get me wrong, ambitions are a must and one must try and achieve all that one is capable of, but we must also not lose focus of the larger picture – enjoying the life that we have. Don’t leave too much to do for too late, for we have no clue how long we might live. ‘Make each day count’.

Most of you might wonder, why this new found love for life? Are you dying or something? Well, not really. There are times in life when you come across people or events that make you stop and wonder – have I lived my life completely? There are even times when you feel, “I wish I could life my life that way”. Well, I just realized it is never too late to change. Today, I wish to narrate my experiences meeting this Korean guy named Song Angler. I barely talked to him a few sentences and must have met him for a total of 40 minutes, but man! They were the best 40 minutes I ever invested talking to another person.

I was out shopping for china clay tea-set at Shanghai technology centre (known for scores of shops and inexpensive stuff) and I chanced upon this little shop in the corner where the prices were too excessive, considering the neighborhood. I would not find it difficult to accept the fact that the only reason I entered the shop was to check out how this man can stay in business selling stuff that has such a markup as compared to other shops in the arcade. As expected there was no one in the store and the only things on sale were clothes for children – years 2 to 6. What was more shocking was the entire line of clothing was British-Victorian. You had the Scottish 3 piece suits for young lads and dress gowns with accessories for the young ladies. Imagine an entire line of clothing dedicated to dressing up an age group, which doesn’t believe in “dressing for the occasion”. That’s not all; the entire line of dressing was too formal for the age group and was priced on par or slightly higher than adult clothing in the shops nearby. Too many handicaps I remember thinking to myself, no wonder this guy has no business!

Song Angler welcomed me with a warm smile and his first words were “sorry, I don’t know mandarin”. After exchanging pleasantries, I stood there looking at his clothesline and silently judging him for his abject lack of business skills. After noting down a few points on his laptop, he turned to me with a smile and said, “You must be wondering how I do business?” I remember smiling at him as if to say, “I think you are too ambitious for your own good”. He suddenly pats me on the back and says, “Its not just you, very often I keep asking that to myself.” It was good enough for me that finally I could talk to an Asian guy who spoke fluent American English. He said, “Don’t look surprised, I have lived almost 20 years in New York”. Intriguing! How could a man living in the business capital for 20 years, make a rookie mistake of opening up expensive clothing store in China – known for its inexpensive assembly line products. He looked at me and said – “No I am not stupid, I am here by choice and following my dream”. Wow! That must be one hellu’va dream that brought a man settled in New York with a high paying job to move to China.

Song worked for Ralph Lauren-Polo, a designer clothing brand known for its dress shirts and trousers. For 15 years he worked up the corporate ladder to become the chief buyer for Ralph Lauren for Asia market. He told me that he even visited Shanghai couple of times to understand business in China and to use Chinese labor to create a cost effective supply chain for Ralph Lauren- Polo. It was during these visits that he got to know that the fashion industry was on the decline (according to him) and the designer clothes were more about how to increase the bottom-line rather than the pleasure of creating new styles. It was not why Song had joined the fashion industry and that very moment he quit. He goes on to narrate how for the next few years, in New York and Shanghai, he continued on his quest to bring back style quotient into the clothes we wear. According to Song, newer styles must be more practical for the end consumer rather than a means to grab money for the designer. For the next 15 minutes, he showed me the intricate design and techniques of tailoring that he had taught a family in rural China, who were now his suppliers and he had stores open in Shanghai to sell the same. Song said this business was to satisfy his creative quotient and give him the happiness of creating dress fashion for a whole new younger generation (who have lost taste to authentic fashion in the haze of party wear). “Its not for profit, I have fixed sales target and want the quality rather than quantity; also quality doesn’t come cheap” says Song.

I asked him, “Do you not fear the Chinese assembly line manufacturing style. There would soon be inexpensive versions of your clothes-line”. Song says, “ I hope they copy me and make it better. The world needs better clothing style”. I ended up buying nothing from his store, but he still had a smile on his face. He was happy to have shared his passion about clothing with another human being and enriched his life with some basic knowledge of picking up good clothes. Song loved fishing too. He spent most of the time outside the world of clothing with his family, fishing. I am an inventor says Song. I like inventing new things and I am not constrained by the thought whether the idea would sell. As I left, he handed me his card and said, “it was a pleasure talking to you and thank you for listening to me.” I was humbled to the core. I just thought to myself, how many people could claim to be as happy as Song Angler; doing things they love and living life with its full glory. A handful maybe, and I left the shop learning few lessons on life that I do not intend to forget anytime soon. I thought to myself, I love writing and can express myself well on that medium, how much pleasure would I get if I had a job doing what I like. Would I be as happy as Song Angler? Well, let the time decide on that one.

So long….