Sampati's Observations

Talent and knowledge can make you a performer –  But to get your due, you must ask…

Maango is not his original name. There is an interesting story behind this. His original name was Mango ‘Chatur’vedi. He was ‘chatur’ / intelligent indeed, and had a working knowledge of the corporate ‘Vedas’. That’s why he always did well since the day he joined the professional workforce.

Many, including him and me, his best friend, often wondered why Mango wasn’t getting the well-deserved promotion.

The year he made a significant contribution to the company’s bottom line, rumors ran wild. This was it—Mango was finally going to get his due.

On the day of the announcement, we all walked up to him, congratulating him in advance.

But to his shock, and ours, his name was left out.

I had never seen Mango so disappointed before.

He was in tears. He kept disappearing into the office washroom so often that those unaware of the real reason assumed he was battling a bad stomach. But I knew the truth—this was a major heartbreak for him.

What made it worse were the sympathizers—the ones who kept coming over, offering their support. The same people I had seen showing their teeth behind his back just days ago.

Finally, the agonizing workday came to an end.

“Let’s go have a drink somewhere,” he said to me.

I didn’t know how to respond. Mango had never touched alcohol before.

But in some way, I was happy – finally, I had company.

***

Another year passed.

Mango doubled his efforts, working even harder and contributing even more. But as fate would have it, he was overlooked once again.

This time, the disappointment hit even harder. Things got so bad that his parents had to travel from his hometown just to take care of him.

As life would have it, Mango’s parents didn’t just come to take care of him—they also brought along a reference for a numerologist, someone who claimed he could set Mango on the path to material success.

Mango dragged me along for the visit.

“What is your name?” the numerologist asked in a deep voice.

“Mango Chaturvedi,” Mango replied politely.

The numerologist nodded, then frowned. “Hmm… ‘Chatur’ and ‘Vedi’ give you the energy to be a top performer. But Mango… that’s where the problem lies.” He shook his head.

“We gave our child the wrong name…” his parents murmured, looking very disappointed.

“No, not necessarily,” the numerologist clarified. “If you wanted him to live a comfortable life, the name is fine. But if you truly want him to succeed—to rise above the rest—I need to add an ‘a’ to his name.”

“Yeah… being a ‘mango’ man, who ever succeeded? The puppy who cries gets the milk…”  I thought to myself.

Mango didn’t even hesitate. “Maango is way better than Mango,” he told his parents.

And just like that, my friend Mango became Maango.

But it wasn’t just his name that changed. From that day on, he didn’t just perform and leave his fate in the hands of decision-makers. He learned to ask for what his well-deserved dues.

Ask… Maango.

What do you think about this? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below—I’d love to hear from you!

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