The Pathfinders

 One who charts a course to the unknown and comes back to lead others to that unknown can safely be called a pathfinder. This term could be adeptly applied to any one taking a bold step in any field of human endeavour. The initiative he or she had taken becomes a path breaking step. This is the brighter side of life.

The lighter side of day to day life has heroes from a different mould. These heroes (heroines, in this case, if at all they play an active role it remains invisible in the public domain)

The Mac (macadam) violators:

 

These types of pathfinders commute on the macadammed roads on bi or tetra wheelers. From “L” to permanent driving license they have broken every barrier of officialdom by their ‘soft’ stand. Once ‘licensed’, they assume that they can ‘vroom’ past no-horn zones, with out valid documents on person, practice the art of jumping signals and use the opposite lane to avoid the trouble of finding the legal U turn and ride without helmet and  headlight to using a bike as an auto rickshaw.

Our traffic policemen are smart and lay in wait to ambush these pranksters, at the most inconvenient moments and in least expected places. Near malls and multiplexes they patiently wait like a spider to pounce upon the violators. After falling in to trap, the violators start pleading, loose face - if lady love is in tow and worry about their spoiled week end jaunt. Prolonged discussions ensue culminating in a receipted fines or plea bargains.

Chastened by this, the violators meekly follow the traffic regulations for the next few days, and only to violate them again.

This ilk, of pathfinders, believes in revisiting history. Unwittingly, they help the traffic police to be on their toes- may be!

 The Intermediaries:

 This, tribe of people act as a go between or intermediaries and do everything for a consideration. The ‘quantum’ depends on the consideration of the doers involved. In this activity, the go between is the catalyst and doer is the reactor.

A dire need drives a person to air his difficulty to a sympathetic person. He or she, in turn tries out two or three contacts. Once such a contact is established, the business end is left to the involved parties. The initiator of the contacts, though a vital cog in the wheel, may get a thank you note or a cup of coffee.

The intermediary now sends out feelers, through his own networks, seeking guidance on the correct approach. The landing has to be perfect or otherwise the plan might skid on the portals of power and he is aware that a failure here will spell doom for his enterprise. In his business, the grapevine is mighty powerful.

This is easily accomplished as he frequents the premises on others’ businesses and has a sense of bearing to navigate the labyrinthine path of rules and files leading to the desired destination.

The neighbourhood restaurants or hotels act as back drop for this clandestine affair of fine tuning the details. The negotiations on consideration go on for some time. First, the seeker and facilitator participate. This is followed by the meeting between the doer and the intermediary.

In the final round, a threesome is held to thrash out the deal. It reminds the parleys conducted by a host officials before the minister enters the scene to sign on the accord, between two sovereign countries. In this case the identity of the head of doer team will not come in to public domain at all – this is the key for success and the difference.

At the end of the done deal, the catalyser remains in touch with his new customer anticipating future requirements - of both of them.

Wonder what to call this: path finding or path breaking?