A lesson in humanity.

By
There is an elderly security guard at my work place. I am on very good terms with him and we talk very often.

Though on and off I had come across incidents where I would find him calling an ambulance for an injured dog lying on the road or sharing his lunch with the street kids some afternoon. I didn’t know that someday I would look upto him as an epitome of humanity.

Every morning he comes to greet me at my desk and we exchange pleasantries. One day when he came to my desk in the morning, he was exceptionally happy. I could make that out from his face. Before I could ask him the reason for the same, he immediately told me that his eldest son is engaged to be married in next month. I congratulated him and then he started telling me about his would-be-daughter-in-law. That’s when I came to know that his would-be-daughter-in-law belonged to a different religion. Given the fact that he himself was a very religious person it was very obvious for me to ask if he was happy with this match. And trust me his answer shocked me.

He told me “I am more than happy for my son. He is getting married to someone whom he loves and who loves him in return. She is a very nice girl from a decent family with a proper upbringing. What more could you ask for.” What he said next was an eye opener. He said “Love is the feeling that just develops and you don’t have any say in that. It’s something as natural as breathing. You can’t force yourself to love someone. I know these days, everyone tries to understand the caste, creed, family background etc etc before falling in love with a person. But then that’s what you do when you are out to buy any commodity. Love is not a commodity. And incase this is the way you find love than I am sorry to say that’s not love. It’s a business (a sauda). And remember “Pyar main sauda nahi hota.”

He smiled and left my desk to begin his day. But whatever he said left a very strong impression on my mind. What is that this person who is not even educated beyond a 10th class could understand love so deeply and we equipped with all our degrees couldn’t understand this basic fact of our lives. How many times have we been compassionate towards our other fellow human beings leave alone towards an animal lying on the road? And how many times have we analysed love in the manner in which he did?

Its true…….God teaches us lessons in various forms and I learnt a beautiful unforgettable lesson in humanity and love from this “Chacha” as I fondly call him!


Popular posts from this blog

Diary of a Lost Wanderer - Lost & Found

By
Image
Dear Diary, I fell in love with Mumbai when I first visited it in 1995. Bombay, as it was then known, fascinated me since then.  If you ask me what made me fall in love with this city, I perhaps cannot explain. It wasn't that I was seeing the sea for the first time. It wasn't even the biggest city I had been to till then. Still, there was something so magical about this place. The trip was a short one lasting less than a week but this city now had my heart. Years later, I arrived here all alone on my first solo trip in 2005 and fell in love all over again. I got my first job and was required to come to Mumbai frequently. The local trains, the chaos on the roads, the crowds, the humdrum, the salty smell in the air, the stale air- everything about this city was intoxicating for me. 
Keep reading »

Essay: How to mourn the loss of love?

By
Image
Image Source: Unsplash.com I remember the first time I mourned the loss of love was when I was eleven.  For me, dance was love at that time. I had discovered a strange joy as I glided in and out of those movements. Every time I swirled; I could feel my heart soar. Any beat that strained to reach my ears, tempted me to move my body to its tune. I just knew I was born to dance and that is the only thing I wanted to do, all my life.  I had my reasons to believe so and a very simple one at that. It made me happy. That was a reason enough. However, my father thought otherwise. Girls from good families, do not dance. That line was enough to break all those rosy dreams of dancing on a stage. The day my brother was sent to the same dance class which was not good for me, was the day I experienced heartbreak for the first time.  That is the day I mourned the loss of my first love- Dance. 
Keep reading »

Metro Diaries: The Art of Making Love

By
Image
Image Source: Unpexels (Cottonbro) “Do you know why is it called making love?” He whispered, pulling the comforter closer.  I don’t remember for how long we had been in that room, on that bed. Lying aimlessly, just feeling each other in silence. I managed to just whimper to denote my curiosity.   “Because that is the moment we create love. We are the closest we could ever be to love, in its purest form. It is sheer magic as we are naked, in every form. Mentally, physically and emotionally before that one person, we love. We know they can hurt us, as much as they want to, in the way they want to. But love gives us that power to trust them, that they won’t.”   “And here I was thinking it is a need. Something you want at that moment and you get it!” 
Keep reading »