My train to Chennai for a home weekend was scheduled for 9 pm. I had to rush in to reach the station as I had started late after sitting through till the end of a thrilling cricket match. Cricket was something which always had more priority than most things in life for most people, especially for me. The clock showed 8.40 pm when I huffed and puffed to the boarding point in the train with my heavy baggage of clothes. I made sure my washing machine at home was given a hefty load every time I got back home. I put the bags under the seat and got down to pick up some things to crunch and drink, having had dinner on the run.
"Coffee", I ordered to the IRCTC stall keeper.
He made me a cup of ground coffee and kept it by me.
I lifted the cup and bought it up and close to my nose. I sucked in the hot flavor of the rich South-Indian coffee. Only few things on earth can beat a well-made coffee.
I also got myself a packet of lays to serve my company as it often bores to travel alone.
It was almost time for the train to leave, and I got into it. I occupied my seat in the train cabin which had a mixed bunch of co-passengers.
What immediately caught my eye was a cute, 5 year old girl in the company of her father. The father seemed a patient young man. It needed patience indeed, to feed his daughter the packed dinner.
"Have this bite, your last one for the day", he had urged the kid for every bite.
"You can't cheat me. I have already had my last bite 5 times", replied the grumpy girl turning away her face.
The young father smiled at his daughter's comment as he soon realized his persuading techniques were past their age for his bright kid.
The man badly needed his wife to be have been around. His mind-voice praised his wife's deeds in achieving this herculean task day-in and day-out. Gentlemen shower the wives with adorable words only when they have missed them the most.
However, he hadn't given up. The fatherhood in him kept him going at the task, but a bit of frustration had crept in than before though.
I watched all this in awe as I sipped in my beaming coffee enjoying every bit of it on a moving train's breeze.
"If you eat, I will buy you a chocolate", in went one bite.
"See the crow there", she took in another in amusement.
"Only if you eat, you will grow big like me", she chewed in a quick few bites in realization.
"If you do not eat, this anna would catch hold of you", he alarmed pointing to me.
For a quick moment I wondered if I had appeared so threatening to be an example for what I was.
I knew I atleast had to act so, to do my bit for the kid's dinner.
"Yes, if you don't finish that Dosa, I will finish you", I said far from deceptive even to a child.
"hahaha!!!", the girl laughed out her last bite of dosa seeing my funny act.
I knew I had a chance in Tamil films being as worse as an actor that I was for a minute.
Finally, her dinner was over. Her father felt so proud of it. He seemed like he had conquered the invincible thing. The child got back to its playful self. Her Dosa-spread-mouth and the always-eager-eyes didn't leave my mind for the night.
Across my side were a son and mother who were keeping mum for most times. The bachelor-son was engrossed with his mobile. His mother was left with no company. She seemed to be worried, perhaps in mind of her responsibilities. The son, I presumed, had his share of worries with his girlfriend on texts.
By now, I had finished my lays packet with the scenes of life of my co-passengers keeping me interested.
By my other side, was two middle aged people, who were chatting profusely about banks and banking regulations, Apparently, they worked in different banks. They stressed on the pros and cons of each other's bank to win the argument. I wondered if they had a trophy to win on conclusion. They even for a minute didn't live life, only catering to their egos.
As I took insight of all this, I realized a few things. They were strangers to me, so for a very rare occasion I was viewing people as what they actually are but not as what I saw them to be. Being not related to them made devoid personal equations and helped me understand how people actually live each other's lives. People, I saw, were so engaged in life that the evident happiness in and around one's self went unnoticed. To the feeding father, it was a test of his temper. For the argumentative banking co-passengers, it was a battlefield with self-pride at stake. For the bachelor-son, life was not where he physically was. For his mother, it was about her non-existent son. To me, whose perspective was detached from their stresses of 'self-life', it meant the small little beautiful things around them that they themselves had failed to notice. The father had missed in his frustration to enjoy the child's nature. The self-possessed minds had a mind-block to think beyond "I, ME, MYSELF", which amounts to nothing.
Once one is clouded with self thoughts he/she loses to live life. Only when one takes 'self' out from his/her system, would one have time for their 'real life'. By 'real life' I mean, what nature gives us- the sound of rain, the chirps of birds, the warmth of the sun, the chill of breeze and the music by the river. Real Life is in a cry, in a smile, in a word. It is in a cuddle, in a pat and in a touch. It motivates to find something to like and enjoy in each of the things around us. 'Self life' hardly keeps open our hearts and senses to the happiness around us. It only urges to go in search of a self-goal blind-folding whatever one's senses may like to feel that are evidently close-by. It only leaves one to find something to dislike and complain in each of the things around us.
As I went to bed on my train birth, I was certain that only when I took out all the 'first-person-possessive' words from my dictionary, I would live LIFE. Until then, I would be a mechanical entity whose search is always a constant and its realization possibly never. It is easier said than done to remove the self from one's thoughts. It is difficult than it may seem but it is not impossible. After all, every individual is made up of his/her egos; the lesser one shows it, the more beautiful they get to be known.
Cheers and Regards,
nagappstheblogger!!!
"Coffee", I ordered to the IRCTC stall keeper.
He made me a cup of ground coffee and kept it by me.
I lifted the cup and bought it up and close to my nose. I sucked in the hot flavor of the rich South-Indian coffee. Only few things on earth can beat a well-made coffee.
I also got myself a packet of lays to serve my company as it often bores to travel alone.
It was almost time for the train to leave, and I got into it. I occupied my seat in the train cabin which had a mixed bunch of co-passengers.
What immediately caught my eye was a cute, 5 year old girl in the company of her father. The father seemed a patient young man. It needed patience indeed, to feed his daughter the packed dinner.
"Have this bite, your last one for the day", he had urged the kid for every bite.
"You can't cheat me. I have already had my last bite 5 times", replied the grumpy girl turning away her face.
The young father smiled at his daughter's comment as he soon realized his persuading techniques were past their age for his bright kid.
The man badly needed his wife to be have been around. His mind-voice praised his wife's deeds in achieving this herculean task day-in and day-out. Gentlemen shower the wives with adorable words only when they have missed them the most.
However, he hadn't given up. The fatherhood in him kept him going at the task, but a bit of frustration had crept in than before though.
I watched all this in awe as I sipped in my beaming coffee enjoying every bit of it on a moving train's breeze.
"If you eat, I will buy you a chocolate", in went one bite.
"See the crow there", she took in another in amusement.
"Only if you eat, you will grow big like me", she chewed in a quick few bites in realization.
"If you do not eat, this anna would catch hold of you", he alarmed pointing to me.
For a quick moment I wondered if I had appeared so threatening to be an example for what I was.
I knew I atleast had to act so, to do my bit for the kid's dinner.
"Yes, if you don't finish that Dosa, I will finish you", I said far from deceptive even to a child.
"hahaha!!!", the girl laughed out her last bite of dosa seeing my funny act.
I knew I had a chance in Tamil films being as worse as an actor that I was for a minute.
Finally, her dinner was over. Her father felt so proud of it. He seemed like he had conquered the invincible thing. The child got back to its playful self. Her Dosa-spread-mouth and the always-eager-eyes didn't leave my mind for the night.
Across my side were a son and mother who were keeping mum for most times. The bachelor-son was engrossed with his mobile. His mother was left with no company. She seemed to be worried, perhaps in mind of her responsibilities. The son, I presumed, had his share of worries with his girlfriend on texts.
By now, I had finished my lays packet with the scenes of life of my co-passengers keeping me interested.
By my other side, was two middle aged people, who were chatting profusely about banks and banking regulations, Apparently, they worked in different banks. They stressed on the pros and cons of each other's bank to win the argument. I wondered if they had a trophy to win on conclusion. They even for a minute didn't live life, only catering to their egos.
As I took insight of all this, I realized a few things. They were strangers to me, so for a very rare occasion I was viewing people as what they actually are but not as what I saw them to be. Being not related to them made devoid personal equations and helped me understand how people actually live each other's lives. People, I saw, were so engaged in life that the evident happiness in and around one's self went unnoticed. To the feeding father, it was a test of his temper. For the argumentative banking co-passengers, it was a battlefield with self-pride at stake. For the bachelor-son, life was not where he physically was. For his mother, it was about her non-existent son. To me, whose perspective was detached from their stresses of 'self-life', it meant the small little beautiful things around them that they themselves had failed to notice. The father had missed in his frustration to enjoy the child's nature. The self-possessed minds had a mind-block to think beyond "I, ME, MYSELF", which amounts to nothing.
Once one is clouded with self thoughts he/she loses to live life. Only when one takes 'self' out from his/her system, would one have time for their 'real life'. By 'real life' I mean, what nature gives us- the sound of rain, the chirps of birds, the warmth of the sun, the chill of breeze and the music by the river. Real Life is in a cry, in a smile, in a word. It is in a cuddle, in a pat and in a touch. It motivates to find something to like and enjoy in each of the things around us. 'Self life' hardly keeps open our hearts and senses to the happiness around us. It only urges to go in search of a self-goal blind-folding whatever one's senses may like to feel that are evidently close-by. It only leaves one to find something to dislike and complain in each of the things around us.
As I went to bed on my train birth, I was certain that only when I took out all the 'first-person-possessive' words from my dictionary, I would live LIFE. Until then, I would be a mechanical entity whose search is always a constant and its realization possibly never. It is easier said than done to remove the self from one's thoughts. It is difficult than it may seem but it is not impossible. After all, every individual is made up of his/her egos; the lesser one shows it, the more beautiful they get to be known.
Cheers and Regards,
nagappstheblogger!!!
It took me through your train journey ! ! Dramatic and . . . Too good man ! ! !
ReplyDeleteindian railways taught life to u, it seems
ReplyDeletePerhaps to all of us!!!
DeleteEasier to 'THINK' like this when you are calm and without any problems or concerns (in such train journeys travelling alone) . But damn tough to implement the same when you have your own issues. And you stress upon that fact. Good.
ReplyDeleteBut, better to find someone and stare and pass the journey... :D
Yes bro!!!!As Muthu said, if you are alone you will find time for these. But everyone is stuck with hell loads of commitments and that is why we fail to notice such little beautiful things in life. For instance its the dad's duty, mother's worry,... -- all these are part of their commitments and they should do it even if they don't feel like doing it. But its really cool... My fav line - The self-possessed minds had a mind-block to think beyond "I, ME, MYSELF", which amounts to nothing. So so so TRUE!!!!!
ReplyDeleteMuthu and jay: That is exactly right, we must disconnect from our self issues,commitments and duties to enjoy life at its purest form. Difficult but still possible.
DeleteIt indeed is easier said than done. somebody said it before i think, this: "Life is 100 small things". this whole article urges the need to get into that quote.
ReplyDeleteYes,, only in travel, we get to see a lot(infact only a little !!) of other people's lives. We may even tell with some close watch, what they been thru in a minute or so. but we never know how they'll end up once we get outta that train. we could only end up just pitying on 'em. just.. just like getting rid of a poor beggar by giving him a coin.
As for the i me myself part, i dont think so. self possession, in ways, makes or gets you better things which could never be acheived via the aforementioned selfless attitude. to be more clear, despite ending up egoistic, nanban sathyraj character,serves a pure example, has a lot of saying. its always a choice between materialism and Life-ism.
oh and one other thing. JK rowling first had her theme conceived for potter series on one of her train journeys.!!
Well, the JK Rowling reference to this is some inspiration to me!!!
DeleteMachan but why would you do this? Meaning think about these random things. Yeah it sounds cool and ppl will be like "Maan! This guy thinks differently" and all. But why?
ReplyDeleteYes it makes an awesome read, but i really dont get the point.
I like the way i think, i dont see anything wrong in thinking about my world. Atleast i might come to a decision/view/conclusion that might be useful for my life.
Btw its my opinion. No offence to any of your and your readers' views.
I have come up wit an analogy to answer u...Losing life by being obsessed or preoccupied about (self) things is like an ardent Indian cricket fan missing out on the beauty of cricket played by the opposition team players.
Deletegood blog buddy :) and an awesome comparison !
Deletehey this blog made me think of the world,society around me...its simply brilliant...the dad portrayed is jus the replica of my dad..yes am remembered of the days how my dad used feed me..this blog is close to my thoughts
ReplyDelete