PLAYING SECOND FIDDLE

 

Someone asked a famous conductor of a great symphony orchestra which instrument he considered the most difficult to play. The conductor thought a moment, and then said: “Second fiddle. I can get plenty of violinists. But to find one who can play second fiddle with enthusiasm – that’s a problem. And if we have no second fiddles, we have no harmony.”
In every home, office or public place where a group of people get together to create something new, there are people who are called to play ‘second fiddle’.
Take the home arena for instance. The wheels of the house run smooth because of a wife or mother . Harmony in the home can be rightfully attributed to her patient humble service. Although she may sometimes nag her husband within the four walls of their humble abode, you will rarely hear her speak against him when they are at a party or any such public gathering. She will grab every opportunity to praise him to the skies and will accept his condescending remarks with the grace of a well-seasoned martyr. A good wife knows how to create harmony by playing the second fiddle to the hilt.
We see the same scene at the work place. The workers, peons, janitors, deliverymen all serve the purpose of second fiddles. They weave their invisible selves into the tapestry of every day routine; without them, the CEOs and Managers would be stumped. Every time the workers’ union decides to go on strike, management gets into a tizzy. Each unproductive day costs big bucks. So you see, our second fiddles at the workplace create the much-needed harmony, after all.
Happy is the second fiddle, then, who knows he’s a second fiddle and accepts his role with enthusiasm, taking the cue from his conductor and creating harmony in the Orchestra of Life. He has the best quality that God looks for in his creation – Humility! He works, not for fame or money, but out of an inner desire to be one with his group.
To take them to greater heights. And when the stage is lit and the leaders strut the ramp to take their bows, the ‘second fiddle’ sits in the corner of the stage, manning the curtains.
For him, there is not much gain except his pay packet, but, because of him, everyone profits and there is prosperity all round. Take him out of the equation and what have you? Utter chaos! Only Noise!
So it is time we salute the second fiddles in our homes, our place of work and in the public arena. Smile and say a Good Morning or Namaste to your peon or janitor today. Learn the name of your garbage collector. Visit your maid at her home some day soon. Give your postman a glass of cool water or sherbet as you enquire about his work.
The municipal workers are busy digging trenches to combat the ensuing monsoons. Stop and show genuine interest in their work and supply them with hydrating fluids as they slog in the scorching summer sun. Don’t wait for annual festivals to give them that much-awaited ‘Bakshish’.
Lastly, don’t forget to acknowledge your wife’s contribution in making your home a heaven on earth. Treat her to a special outing, just you and her, and shower her with daily doses of love and appreciation. Help her complete her tiring and tiresome chores quickly so the two of you can spend some ‘We’ time together.
And if you are a second fiddle, play your piece with enthusiasm; create soulful music for your Creator. And if you feel no enthusiasm right now, motivate yourself by fine-tuning your strings. For without you, there is no harmony. If music be the food of love, play on