Just a Thought

Drizzle Tactics

Yamin Tauseef Jahangir

THE drizzle slowed down the pace of the world around me. A gentle breeze flipped my hair like that of a spaniel's and the rainwater sprinkled its essence on my face for the first time. I sipped into the hot liquor and sat comfortably on the rusty bench. The train was delayed for an hour and all I had was an evening drama on the platform to entertain myself. The kaleidoscope of a railway station is something very interesting where you get to see all the shades of human emotions.

A family was busy munching all the junks that they had with them. Adjacent to the family, an old man kept on staring at them and what they were having. He begged for some, to which the family completely ignored him and resumed to enjoy to their hearts' content. Being as helpless as he could be, the old man drank some of the remaining water from a bottle. Humanity is a simple word, which revolves around generosity and that requires a person to be humane. The family does not have it, and so does not a million such lives in our country. The differences between classes are not drawn in a fine line, but are already poles apart. I then saw a group of urchins; being oblivious to the world they got drenched in the rain while they kept themselves busy in walking on the rail track. In such a cynical world these children still find reasons to smile for. They may never see a better side of life, because we have a tendency to be dependent on others. We seldom take up the initiative to lead a quality life. The ignored class is dependent on the well offs and the government. The well offs are dependent on other well offs to improve their status and the government is also dependent on the aid and the tax money that it can use to take care of us. But even in this dependency there remain several loopholes, which have not been rectified in the past, and the question remains when do we realise this.

A strange sound caught my attention and as I focused on the other end of the platform I saw two blind men advancing in my direction. Their white canes were doing their job while they remained busy in a conversation. I took out my Nikon and got few snaps. Friendship works in all walks of life. It doesn't come in a definite package, it doesn't need to be weighed. All it requires is a pure bonding of trust and understanding. May be these two men have never seen each other, but they do connect. They do not need to give fancy gifts to one another to express their gratitude or respect, they do not need to prove themselves in every way, but they know in their limited world they have a shoulder to rely on.

These are few elements of life that surrounds you, but you don't wish to see it. I mean, what is the point? How many of you would care to lend a helping hand to that old man who was starving? Or would you care to observe those children and consider yourself to be blessed for having a wonderful life? The rain has its own tricks to play. It makes your life to pause for a moment so that you can observe such people. The blind men can make you realise of the fact that it doesn't take much to offer in friendship. You do not need to be an eye candy so that you get friends, and also you do not need to be a spendthrift in order to maintain them. All you need is a good bunch of people who will stand by you through thick and thin. You can also ask your conscience on how compassionate you are in dealing with the lower income bracket. As I handed some money to the old man his eyes glistened and he returned a surprised look. He was silent but I understood his appreciation. The train arrived after some time and I boarded. I looked at the station and I knew that the stories would repeat all the time. There are so many untold tales and I hope someone reads them the next time he waits for a delayed train.

PHOTO: HENRI SILBERMAN/GETTYIMAGES