Cooler bags are not mere promotional products. On the other hand, it is a life-giver.

In an innovation-fuelled world, we look everything from the standpoint of economic benefits. This is the understanding I gained by moving with many people of different age groups in whichever companies I had worked. While interacting with many people I observed that people wear diverse marks and cover their real nature. The biggest foolish thing I did was, I considered everyone as good. I was of the view that people by nature make mistakes as it is natural for humans to err and after some time they change for the good.

Way back in 2012 when I was 23 years old just, I had a feeling that people in another place are different when I come across bitter experience with people whom I was dealing with. So, my thought process went in this line – here people are backbiting type, maybe elsewhere they may be good. And I sought for good people wherever I went.

Humans are inclined to love and receive love. Religion says a human being is created in the image of God and therefore reflect the character of God and we see God as love. In one sense, I can tell one thing very clearly. One loves the other as long as there is a sameness of opinion and the moment differences crop up the love will suddenly vanish. I also observed another thing. The moment when there is a change in opinion people will stop being friendly with one and how often I observed scenarios like ‘friends becoming foes in no time’.

Some have the habit of becoming jealous when we receive something or favours from others. I remember how my colleague turned envious when I received a cooler bag as a promotional product from the management. It was a blank one and I wanted to inscribe something on that.

In the workplaces, I observed one thing. There are decent people and want to pursue good in the office where they work; they are idealistic ones of course. But what happens to them is, they are just used by the company and will not get any promotions. They will be used as mere productive workers where some others will take their credit. And in this process, I also got flummoxed when I saw people’s attitude slowly changing. Some become cruel when they are treated in that way for the sake of survival. They turn to backbite or retaliate for the injustice they meted out.

I found the office atmosphere artificial because people didn’t have any love towards the other and they join for parties and badmouth about the company. In the event, we utter anything bad about the company, be assured of the message reaching the ears of the boss. And the ones who speak ill about the company is always on the good books of the company. Strange paradox, other than that, what we can term a case like this?

During 2018, I developed a desire to get married. But I was doubtful at that time, is there any real love among partners? With great enthusiasm people commit for marriage and after that, they separate for trivial reasons. I resolved, unless and until I found a person who doesn’t wear masks, better to remain single. Quite interestingly for nearly two years, I remained single as the ones who were around me were wearing masks.

It is not the face mask which we wear during corona season. It is all about covering the true nature of a person. Why not people can’t be straightforward, accept their real state? I thought about this too often.

Some people liked me because I was pretty. Secondly, I had a stylish dress sense that attracted the attention of many. I was 5.8 inches tall and had an athletic body frame that made many young women envious about me. I was nearing 28 years and felt marriage should be done at the right age otherwise life will turn grievous at a later stage.

Call it a passion for combination once I made up my mind to use my promotional lunch cooler bag to enhance my style quotient. On those days, it was simply lying idle as I used to take quick bites from the company cafeteria and never thought about bringing my lunch box to office. But it happened to me in such a way that I found expenses increasing and income growth remaining stagnant.

It was during my birthday on Jan 10, I decided to take leave and go to a custom designer and get the inscription done on my cooler bag which I received as a gift in one of the companies I worked. I browsed the net and found a good catchy line, ‘If you love it, buy it, otherwise, someone else will’. I decided to inscribe that line on my bag and found it nice. I chose that line for a special reason. I wanted to convey a message that, I am straightforward in approach and only people who are not hypocritical can befriend me.

Many looked at my bag and chuckled and I gave them a damn to them because I know very well, they don’t have any ideology in life or any purpose to live. They simply compromise at every doctrine of the influencers or they are simply after money through any means.

Two months have passed like that and even myself forgot about the importance of the copy written on the lunch cooler bag which I carried to the cafeteria. One fine day, a gentleman approached me and sat beside me. He came for a special project from another city. He just made a statement and sat opposite to me, “You appear to be a straight forward person and that is why I came near you. He was an Afro Aussie by the name John Peters.

I asked him, “How come you state I am a straight forward person?” His answer was, “I just observed your promotional cooler bag Australia and made that observation.” John continued, “Yes, one can just buy a bag having that quote. But I observed you maintain a separation from others, therefore, you are different from others”. I understood I am looking for a man like this.

I being Black Australian have many things in common. We dated for one month and enter into a nuptial agreement. After passing one year of marriage, I indeed thought about the power of words, I mean the inscription in the cooler bag that gave me a life. Let me confess it right, I met my partner through the cooler bag. Who knows you are the next?
 

Author : Amit Ghia