My day begins with someone screaming at me to wake up. I’m in too deep a sleep to acknowledge that it's not a dream. When reality strikes me, I wake up all miffed and look for the cause of it. Dad!
And then I remember. Dad had told me the previous day that he had an important conference to attend and I am not to delay him in the morning like I always do. But I did. I get up from the bed to do my daily chores. Though I tried to hurry, we still end up starting late (more late than we usually are). I was in a lousy mood myself because of the bad start, lack of sleep etc etc.. (name it and u got it).
He dropped me at the bus stop like he always does and my wait for an auto began. Suddenly a gust of wind blew my hair and I started feeling a lil better. I had this impulse to take a bus ride instead of an auto. Usually am excited about commuting through busses because of the variety of people I get to observe. Just sit back and look around at their moods, cultures or any irrelevant gestures about them. So I boarded one and it was empty. That didn't help raise my spirits, of course. Then slowly it started to fill in with a few people hurrying to work and students for college.
At the next stop, a few workers got in holding their "gampas" (some construction equipment). Bus was already crowded so they had to slog their way in. Every single person in the bus cringed at the sight of them. An old lady started screaming at a worker for brushing through her saree. A young man screamed at another for stamping his newly-polished shoe. The deluge of such insensible reactions weren't surprising. This is how workers and laborers (and many other category people) are treated in India. But the shocking part was those workers didn't mind it. It hardly affected them in any way. In fact they were totally oblivious to the people around them. And then I thought, how could it be that when only one person scolded me (and which I totally deserved), I could feel all gloomy and let it ruin my day and those people in the bus hardly receive any kind of loving gestures from anyone, seem so unaffected ?! We really need to start appreciating the excess of affection and love we get from everyone around us ! :-)
