Running through pages of headlines each day that say “Congress calls Anna Hazare unelected tyrant”, “Baba Ramdev discharged from hospital, vows to continue fight’, “ Sensex nudges up in opening trade”, 'Closer economic ties with India will create jobs for Canadians' 7 etc etc etc….
I stop by & gasp for breath…..so much image / text / sound…its maddening… I don’t know if anybody else feels like this as well… but I feel in this maddening chaos very often small little things in our day to day life goes unnoticed…
How many of you have travelled in the “METRO FEEDER BUSES”… not many of you I guess…these buses ply to & from metro stations in Delhi…The “METRO FEEDER BUS” is a typical mini bus with a sitting capacity of 20 people…& another 20 odd number could stand or should say barely stand…
Everybody is aware of the terrifying heat in Delhi…sweaty, humid & dusty …all this gets worst when each day you have to travel from the Metro Station to your office in the this “METRO FEEDER BUS”.
Today as I was rushing to office, I boarded the 9.40 “METRO FEEDER BUS”…needless to mention the rush, sweat and noise…not a very desirable start to the day…
As the bus reached the Malaria bus stand.. (yes there is a bus stand by the name Malaria … {no prize for guessing}…the name is so as the Indian Malaria Research centre is located there)… Yes, as the bus stopped there, an old man boarded the bus….carrying a white bag sort of a thing I thought…a teenager boy offered his seat to the man…the old man clung hard to the white bag which I found a little strange…
I kept staring at the white bag the old man was carrying, then I recalled I have seen this man earlier too…but never noticed him…
The old man in his late 70’s may be, dressed in a shabby white kurta and black pajama…and a grey old bag hanging on his stooped shoulders. Strange black eyes, slightly reddish (may be the effect of sleepless nights or even alcohol I thought)…
I kept gazing at him…and meanwhile the bus reached the Ganapati Chowk and the bus halted with a huge jerk near the red light… Then to everyone’s horror the white bag jumped out of the lap of the old man…can you imagine that in that tiny “METRO FEEDER BUS”…the dog actually travels in the lap of the man unnoticed & even without any hustle almost everyday….
The passengers in the bus got scared should I say or may be shocked at such an unusual incident…The man got down the bus & managed to get hold of the white furry dog & without any dismay he came and sat on his seat. The dog too comfortable in his master’s arm sat quietly despite being the centre of attraction for the passengers in the bus…
I just thought to myself what connection the man & the dog have, may be the dog is the only family for the man..the comfort he got by holding the dog to his bosom could be easily sensed.. Even the dog made the silent effort of being the best companion to his master…who was at the prime of his life where loneliness & old age remain to be the sole FRIENDS… A silent companionship it is….Silent yet more than words could say…Comforting more than a touch…and everlasting even beyond the mortal world…
