When there are no distractions, concentration is not a challenge. How true is that statement? In a time and age where all that we are a part of is a rat race and running around multiple conflicting priorities and in between that getting more distracted each minute and each second through social media, this scene was a testament to what focus should be.
The person in the frame is Mr. Rangaiah, a tailor with a small yet functional shop on the temple street in Melkote town. During a recent visit to the town, I sat down for 20-25 minutes just opposite his shop and watched him engrossed with his work. While I was busy experimenting with some photos that I had started to put into shape while sitting there, all that he did was concentrate and focus on his work. In less than 30mins he completed a skirt from start to finish, including folding and packing it aside for delivery. I hardly saw him lift his head and worry about what was happening on the road or around him. Or what I was sitting for so long in front of his shop and doing with a camera in my hand. I didn’t see any phone anywhere around him, which I thought was a big win in reducing distractions. No wristwatch or clock in the shop, which would push him to think of the time that’s passing by – which is actually a major reason for impatience in city dwellers like us. The only source of audio in that space if not for the passing bikes or cars visiting the temple, was that of an AM radio playing songs and a mix of some informative news in between, in the hotel on the other side of the road. Once again not the chaos that we get to listen all the time in the FM radios in the city which is quite often packed with unnecessary chit-chat, uncountable ads, and loud irrelevant music.
The numerous notifications, messages, updates, and pings on the phone, as well as the smart stupid watch, not only eat away much of our time, but it’s also the time which makes us think about what we will be late for and what we will miss in future than worrying about giving quality focus on the thing which is on at the current moment. The situation presented me with a fantastic example of how two things, CONCENTRATION and FOCUS, can help us finish work on time and with no chaos, and all that it ends up with is peace of mind rather than peace of mind due to the stress otherwise.