Lessons from an old Goldsmith

I was never a fan of nose studs but a few months ago my friend and I decided to pierce our noses. We went to a professional and modern Tattoo and Body piercing centre in Chennai. There we were given a small set of nose studs to choose from. We chose one and got the piercing done using a piercing gun. We paid close to 700 each for this service. We were back home happy and it was all good for me. (It was all bad for my friend and calls for a different story).

Recently I wanted to replace my nose stud with a new gold one. That’s when I realised the needle of my existing nose stud was really thin and so was the hole on my nose. Even the smallest gold nose stud’s needle was much thicker than that. The “professional” never mentioned anything about this. He didn’t educate me with the pros and cons. He didn’t bother about my requirements; made false promises and there were no ethics followed.

I had to find a solution for myself. This time I was in Trichy, my hometown and went to an old goldsmith who has been doing this job for close to 40 years now. I explained him my situation and asked for a workaround. He told me, “Today is not an auspicious day dear. Please come tomorrow and I will fix it.”. It was so sweet of him to think for me like someone in his own family. This is the beauty that comes with people that carry business through generations with a touch of tradition.

I met him the next day. After a little prayer, he began his work. He tried placing the nose stud without using a needle so that I felt less pain. But it was impossible. Later using a needle, he placed the gold stud. It was done so perfectly and with least amount of pain. When I asked him how much I should pay, he told me that he didn’t want cash because I had already done the piercing elsewhere and it was not him who did it completely. He thought he only helped me. After I convinced him for close to 5 mins, he agreed to get 20 rupees from me.

The old goldsmith cared for me. He wanted me to get a new nose stud on an auspicious day. He respected his profession. He prayed when he began his day for himself and for all the people he would have an impact on. He listened patiently to what as a customer I spoke. He was not money greedy. He doesn’t care about how much other people get paid for the same work. He follows his own rules. He is an inspiration.