Coromandel Express - Conversation with the old man from Bihar
I was seated at the window seat of Coromandel Express bound for Chennai. It was 6.45 A.M and i had just boarded the train from Vizag at 4.45 A.M. It is very difficult for me to get a sound sleep during train journeys. The same must have been the case for the old man who was sleeping on the lower berth in the same compartment. He was looking around to find everyone sleeping except me. I was enjoying the scenic beauty around me. Practically in my own world of thoughts outside the box of life.... the kind of thoughts and joy you find when u are watching a 'manpasand' scenery...
Now if u notice, i have used a Hindi word.. it is because of the Conversation that the old man started off with me...
Some of the topics that we covered were My Job, Importance of Hindi, Tirupathi and Lord Balaji, Career, Salary, My wedding, My expectations about my life partner, Agriculture, Difficulty about studies and learning something, Eye hospitals, Chennai, mangoes, Andhra Pradesh, How easy or difficult it is to learn a language, Why tamil is not easy to grasp, and finally closed with "Dahej" or Dowry.....
He had been an agriculturist, couldnt let his daughters study college, as college education for a girl results in more "Dahej" which he couldnt afford, and about which this person feels bad till date.....
After this talk with him, i recalled for the umpteenth time, how lucky i am in every way.... Not many times we do realise how gifted we are... The conversation with this person helped me realise this...... I resolved never to complain about anything.... For i think we are all gifted to have more than this Old man's family.
The best part of the entire conversation was this : " Do your duty putting in the best of your interest and do not wait for reward... It will come to you when it has to. What you think is right may not be actually right and you never know tomorrow. There is a reason behind everything".
I have heard all of these many times and have some of it registered on my head, but then it was amazing to to hear it from a stranger who is not educated. In a group of 10 edcuated strangers, rarely people catch up a conversation....... Could be due to various reasons that i dont want to bring up here, but then, conversation is a gift that the Bihari Old man had, I would say, that most of us would have to learn from.....
Now if u notice, i have used a Hindi word.. it is because of the Conversation that the old man started off with me...
Some of the topics that we covered were My Job, Importance of Hindi, Tirupathi and Lord Balaji, Career, Salary, My wedding, My expectations about my life partner, Agriculture, Difficulty about studies and learning something, Eye hospitals, Chennai, mangoes, Andhra Pradesh, How easy or difficult it is to learn a language, Why tamil is not easy to grasp, and finally closed with "Dahej" or Dowry.....
He had been an agriculturist, couldnt let his daughters study college, as college education for a girl results in more "Dahej" which he couldnt afford, and about which this person feels bad till date.....
After this talk with him, i recalled for the umpteenth time, how lucky i am in every way.... Not many times we do realise how gifted we are... The conversation with this person helped me realise this...... I resolved never to complain about anything.... For i think we are all gifted to have more than this Old man's family.
The best part of the entire conversation was this : " Do your duty putting in the best of your interest and do not wait for reward... It will come to you when it has to. What you think is right may not be actually right and you never know tomorrow. There is a reason behind everything".
I have heard all of these many times and have some of it registered on my head, but then it was amazing to to hear it from a stranger who is not educated. In a group of 10 edcuated strangers, rarely people catch up a conversation....... Could be due to various reasons that i dont want to bring up here, but then, conversation is a gift that the Bihari Old man had, I would say, that most of us would have to learn from.....
Comments
I think u r becoming more and more professional writer day by day...nice exp to share with. expecting more from u like this in future...update me abt ur next such articles like this....
waiting...till that time ...bye...
N