I have been listening to stories. From people who have seen quite a bit of life. (I hope to be such a story-teller when I am their age!) While I have learned a lot from those conversations, there’s this thing that stands out for me now.
What you are actually left with are memories. And a good life is a shoe-box full of good memories from which you can pull out snapshots of people and past, look at the moments frozen in time and smile…
Being in a new place has you more alert to the nuances that you would otherwise miss due to habit. It is almost as if you get a new pair of eyes to look at the good ol' world. And it has been great.
On the surface I saw differences. It was easier to spot the differences. Isn't that what we are trained to do? Spot the difference. Grade the attributes. And assign values to them.
But…
Beyond all the barriers, the great divides, the differences, the gaps,
Beneath the surfaces, the appearances,
There is a bridge
There is the depth
On the other side
In the deep
There is a person
Just like me
I was riding to work as usual this morning. And I was letting thoughts run through my head as well. And I was running a bit late as I was running my scooter after 4 long days of not riding it and letting it get wet in the rain. Hence, the starting trouble and stalling at the signal and all…
Anyways, that is not the point of my story. So, while I was riding my scooter and running a bit behind schedule, I had to stop at yet another signal when these two blokes on a bike rushed to the empty spot next to my bike and said, "There's a lizard on your helmet. Don't remove it fast. Unbuckle it slowly, and remove it gently." And I did. And they took the helmet from me and sort of jerked the lizard away! And it wasn't a small one.
While I am not afraid of lizard, I cannot say that they are on my 'favorite animals' list either. In fact, they take a place in my 'yucky creatures' list.
And I was amazed that this creature had to sit on my helmet riding with me, and from what one of the other guys at the signal said, it had been riding with me for about a kilometer or two! I clearly remembered my helmet sans the lizard when I wore it this morning. Anyways, the point of the story is kindness of strangers.
After all said and done, I definitely love my country. I love the people. While there are some jerks*, there are also some kind people. And it is easy to laugh, and share a moment of one's life with them, even if it is for just a brief while like waiting at the signal.
Yesterday, when I was taking a train to work, I was stuck without Rs. 4 in change. I had only a Rs. 20 currency note. The person at the ticket counter asked me to wait till someone gave change. While I was waiting, there was this lady that came by and asked me up to where I had to go. I told her and she bought me a ticket.
The train journey wasn't exactly what I would have preferred. Well, what can I expect if I were travelling the wrong direction at the wrong time? I understood the meaning of 'sardines in a tin.' But, it was amazing the camaraderie that emerged among people in that situation. In fact, another person that got out at the same station as I walked with me a bit and we were talking to each other till we had to part ways.
I did not exchange numbers with any of these people. I did not ask for any of their names (well, except for the person that walked with me). I don't think I will even remember their faces. But for a brief moment our lives intersected and we shared a smile.
* Subjects of entirely different posts...
Well, I am about to confess…
You know, one of those women drivers? The ones who usually block traffic at the most obscure spots on the roads? The ones who wouldn't be able to take a proper u-turn and get stuck half way through?
I have been stuck behind them a number of times. [I am pretty good with my biking (riding my scooter, that is) skills. I am good enough to teach a lesson or two to the guys who treat me like one of those women riders.] And I have nothing but absolute disdain for those women drivers.
Well, that is not my confession really.
When I sit behind the wheel of a car, I turn into one of those women drivers… *GAK*
I love the window seat. Be it the train, or the flight or even the exam hall. Wherever possible, I request for a window seat. There is something about the window seat. It gives you freedom. Although you are trapped inside you have the opportunity to be part of a whole new world. Sometimes it is your only route to freedom - especially when you are trapped inside of an exam hall and you don’t quite enjoy writing exams.
You may not be looking out of the window constantly. But you know it is there and you can look out of it when you please. And there may be times when you will perform the journey without looking out of the window for the most part of it. And when you are writing your exam, you cannot really look out of it for too long. You are actually writing your exam most of the time. (However hard you may hate writing exams, you definitely hate it even more to fail one. Failing means you have to write it again!!)
When you are on a long journey you are either reading or watching other people or just sleeping or watching a movie or listening to music (though listening to music and looking out of the window are not mutually exclusive. Sometimes, you like listening to music when you are looking out of the window. It adds to the enchantment.). The fact is you are just happy that you have the window to look out when you want to take a break from what’s happening in the world that you are expected to be in. you have an alternate world to escape into when you want. That offers you some sort of solace. I guess that is one of the reasons why windows are special. They offer a route of escape.
Windows are useful. They offer escape from the mundane. They are special. They open a new world to you. They open up your mind. They help you think. I have let a lot of thought run through my head when I have looked out of windows. Looking out of flight windows I have thought how big the world is and how small we are. Yet we are significant. I don’t know how to express it in words. Let me give it a try. The world is huge and vast. I occupy but one insignificant space on earth. Yet, I have this opportunity to travel and see the magnificence of some parts of it! Who am I?!
When I look out of the window of a train, I realise the vastness of the world we live in. the variety that is seen outside makes me take a second look at my outlook towards the seemingly insignificant of the world. Every person, every object, every hillock, every tree, every blade of grass, every cloud, every sunset, has beauty to offer – whether people take note of it or not. It is up to us to look at it and drink in the beauty the world has to offer.
I love the window seat…
These were the thoughts that were running through my head when I was riding back to here last night.
These buses aren't called 'semi-sleepers' for nothing. They deliver what they promise - 'semi-sleep'.
Have these bus guys ever heard of the word 'ergonomics'? Why do they make seats with such poor lower back support and such big head-rest?!
How the hell did I forget rule #1 when traveling by bus - to never drink water?
Q: How can you be aware of every bump and every pot-hole on the road?
A: By having a full bladder
Why does it take half an hour to go 10 km when you are traveling at over 60 kmph? Either the time seemed to be longer than it seemed (theory of relativity), or the distance was actually longer than 10 km. I personally think, the distance was longer.
Well, that's for now. That is all my tired brain can think after the semi-sleeper...
The Women's Day celebration is over! This means that I don't have to travel much on my bike during work. This means that I can take the public transport to work.(I like the suburban train and do not like buses). The train is a better option for various reasons - the obvious being, it is economical (cuts down my travel expenses by less than 50%!!! I don’t have to stress myself with the traffic on the road. I can even read when traveling to work! And most importantly, I get to walk from the train station to work. Doing this has helped me build exercise into my routine. Well, now let us get on with the reason for this post which is not about money management or keeping yourself fit. There is more to life, yes?
Now, walking is a very interesting thing to do for the simple reason that it helps you slow down. I mean, really slow down. When you are riding a scooter, you sort of zip through life at about 40 - 50 km/hr. And when you travel by a car you are cocooned in a bubble and totally cut out from the rest of the world - well, in a sense. But when you walk, you come face to face with the world. The bustling life. The people. The faces. All your senses are awake. You see the vibrancy of the place - all abuzz with bright colors of nice fruits and vegetables and saris; the smells (may not always be pleasant); the sounds - people are busy, vendors trying to grab your attention, people chattering (you get a glimpse into the lives of these people and it makes you realise that they are people); the heat, the sweat, the grime, the energy pulsing through your veins. You can either call this an assault on your senses or you can call it experiencing life and all that it has to offer. I choose to call it experience...
As I get out of the train, I rush to the staircase before all the people mob it. That is the only way I can climb two stairs at a time and make it ahead of the crowd. I climb down the stairs. There are beggars and vendors sitting at the staircase landing. I do not usually give them anything. I rush past them. Sometimes, I force myself to look at their faces - just to remind me that they are people too. I walk out of the station. I walk at a brisk pace. Dodging cyclists, motorists and people as I try to cross the road.
Once I cross the road on my left are shops - lots of shops. Bakery, mobile phone recharge, household gadgets shop... Oh, there is a bank as well. Every time I walk past the post office I tell myself that I should write to my friend. You see, after I got my laptop, I have almost given up on writing letters. I say almost because I haven't entirely given it up yet. I will get around to do that sometime. I will…
On the other side are small vendors. A variety of small businesses flourish there. I get to know what fruit are in season just by walking through the market. Oh yes, I have to walk through the market area when I go to work. This includes walking through the fish market part of the market. On this one small road (which is supposed to be a one-way) you have cyclists, two-wheeler riders and sometimes even auto-rickshaws going both ways along with the pedestrians. This scene continues till I reach the big road.
A lot of them vendors have push carts. Many of them occupy part of the road and set their business on a tarp spread on the ground. At the time I arrive, some of these 'shops' are closed. It is too early for business. However, there is still a lot of activity going on. The grape vendor arranging the fruit on his cart, the fish vendors bringing in their wares from wherever they buy it wholesale. The green leafy veggies lady unpacking her sack of green leafy veggies… The whole place is abuzz. It is more so when I return from work in the evening.
I have a specific interest in the vendors. Especially if they are women. Will come to that at the end of this post.
There a is zebra crossing at the place where this small road joins the big road. The beauty of this zebra crossing is, it is across a six-lane road! And the whole traffic actually stops for the pedestrians (you would understand the significance of this if you live in a country like India)!! Even I have stopped a number of times for the pedestrians at this crossing when I ride my bike to work! Once I cross and walk a bit past a bus terminus, I get to walk on a decent stretch of side-walk - neatly tiled and all.
Here again I get to see certain things that is of interest to me. I get to see poverty. By the side of the bridge and under the bridge is a slum. This is a low-lying area and is very close to the river. This river is sewer for most part of the year and during the monsoons, it floods. I walk past these huts. I watch kids in school uniform in the morning. (That is a sign of hope!) Some washer men and women washing clothes - yes, in that dirty water. Little kids playing around. I walk past taking all these sights in. It is important I do.
I walk past the bridge and turn into this nice little neighbourhood - predominantly residential, but there are businesses too. And I walk into my office. To do my work. My work involves writing stories of poor women who do small businesses - micro entrepreneurs. I write stories of how the loan has transformed their lives. I plan along with the rest of the team as to how we can add value to the loan that we give them. This is hard-core business. The business of transforming lives the best that we know how. Business of partnering with micro-entrepreneurs to improve their businesses, the lives of their families and their communities. The job is not always as romantic as it sounds… It can be disillusioning sometimes. Most of the times.
Walking through the market gives me an idea of what our clients' lives would be like. As I walk past them every morning, I imagine about what their life back at home would be like. They cease being just vendors selling their wares. They become to me faces of people who have hopes, dreams and love in their hearts. Possibly they face hardships. Seeing the huts and sewer keeps me grounded to reality. Seeing children in school uniform gives me hope.
I don’t think I help them in a tangible sense by buying their wares. Well, sometimes I do - when I need something. And I don’t think they are looking for free hand outs either. But realizing that they are human helps me look at them and to respect them.
p.s. - I like walking for another reason. I think a lot when writing. A lot of my blog ideas have come when I am walking or riding my bike.
p.p.s. - I promise I will write about Women's Day sometime soon.
Currently listening to - Shout God's Fame by Hillsong London
Currently reading - Footprints of Faith by Sonya Svoboda & Enjoying God by Andrew Brandon
