What best defines the limitations of an ageing Tree… probably the best description of this misery-torned tree is a Gandhian cap, a chick penetrating inside the skull and a skeleton notwithstanding the demands of the body… Yet the zeal to continue the fight and save the pride continues irrespective of how things and people have changed….
While coming to my workplace from my rented accommodation in South Delhi’s budget area in a blueline bus… well not to mention that I never get to seat, but tday was somewhat different in many sense.
The bus carrying us like anyother unclaimed luggage, by now, has reached the Nizammudin stand…
And it was this place where two aged people landed inside the bus…
As soon as the bus stopped at the stand an old person who was more than qualified to fall in the ‘senior’ citizen category whirled towards the entrance ( in this case the front exit-door of the bus).. The Sun was at its best to compel us to acknowledge its presence…
He (the first old person of the two)- I”ll introduce the second one after a while, stood at the gate and started looking up to some one, probably for the conductor… After some time despite making his eyeballs exercise a lot he couldn’t manage to hold the sight of the person he was lookin for…. then a someone from the crowd asked..
“Baba kaha jaoge?”
He replied: “bus laal quile jaayegi”
By this time the conductor jumped into the scene.
Conductor: han han jaayegi,, aajao ….. jaldi kro..
Old man: kitne paise lagenge?
Conductor said, in his infamous dialect, “20 rupaye lagenge chalna hai chalo”….
The old man put his hand into his Gandhian kurta to find “support”…
And immediately he said in a very low voice, “7 rupaye.. 1 ke…”
His voice was so low and lacked potent that it appeared as if the words were accompanying the hot breeze to reach our ears…
The conductor had nodded his head in an emphatic no and I was mulling to come to the rescue of the old person…..
But suddenly the driver said, “aa jao, aajao,…. Oye bithale enna nu”
I just heard the first part and had a sigh of relief, as the rest was not of much importance, for two reasons-
1. I did not have to shell-out my hard-earned money and,
2. The old man got on the bus with the money he could afford
To my surprise, the old man went backward in a hurry… I thought may to collect his belongings. But he returned with his fellow couterpart…
They both embarked into the bus and the bus moved ahead… with no seat to sit…
I continued watching both of them.. the other old man attracted my attention.. His behaviour depicted a lot abt him in that short span....
His, time and again, combing of beard with fingers and adjusting the Gandhian cap and taking care of the trademark stick…
Something was different with the duo… They did not welcomed the move by the conductor to give them space to sit on the floor of the bus… yet not even sat on the space ( reserved for the senior citizen) provided them by two others…
May they did not wanted to sit by allowing others to stand however young may be…
Then I reached my destination and had to drop-down… turned for a last glance and the face still was held high in pride..
I don’t know wat compelled me to write this but I m sure that this piece is open for your interpretation of the events….
And that I don’t want to draw any conclusion and force any prejudice on others….. I conclude this piece here only.. thanx reading….!!!!
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