Don’t judge a book by its cover I like to travel because like a sparrow, it helps me to pick at the grains of human kindness even amidst the dirt and gravel of everyday life. Things are not always what they seem, and people often surprise you with their gentleness hidden underneath a crusty exterior. Some of my most memorable encounters in life have occurred while I was on the road, but the one I am about to narrate is very special to me because of its unexpectedness. It made me realize just how many times we let rough diamonds slip through our fingers just because they do not have the polished sheen of zircon! While I was pursuing my Master’s degree in Pune, I frequently travelled by the night bus to Goa and back. As I liked meeting new people, I almost always ended up initiating conversations with my fellow passengers, regardless of their age, gender and profession. I was returning to Pune that time, after having spent New Year in Goa. The state-run Kadamba bus left Margao at about 6.30 in the evening. Normally, I used to introduce myself right away to the person sitting next to me, but on this particular occasion, I just did not feel like it. My neighbor was a rough looking young man in his mid-twenties with blood-shot eyes. He reeked of loud perfume mingled with stale sweat and wore a faux leather jacket that seemed to have seen better days. I glanced at him without enthusiasm, shoved by backpack into the luggage rack overhead and sunk into my window seat without a word. I stared outside the window resolutely, trying to avoid even accidental eye-contact with my neighbor. He however, was inclined to be in a chatty mood. He attempted conversation a few times, asking me where I was from, whether I was living in Pune, volunteering his work info. I replied in short staccato sentences, making my annoyance evident. Finally, he got the message and lapsed into a sullen silence. By now, it was dark outside. The bus stopped for a brief dinner break. We disembarked. My co-passenger again attempted small talk, only to find me unresponsive. After a quick dinner, we got back inside the bus. The Ghat section was now behind us, and the bus moved smoothly towards Pune. It was time to catch some sleep. Deeply distrustful of my neighbor’s intentions, I curled myself into a tiny ball, trying to squeeze myself well within the boundary of my own seat. It was cold outside, and my window wouldn’t close completely. The cool breeze soon lulled me into sleep despite my wariness. I woke up with a start in the early hours of the morning. Disoriented for a moment, I looked around, only to find that the seat next to me was empty. The cold draft from the window hit my face and I was aware that I was covered clumsily by a jacket that did not belong to me! I realized with a shock that my neighbor had covered me with his own jacket sometime in the night and had moved to some other seat so that I could sleep comfortably. I could not sleep after that. I was deeply ashamed of my behavior of the previous evening, of my reticence that bordered on rudeness. The man that I had so obviously mistrusted had made me realize how shallow my behavior was! Soon it was light and the bus stopped for breakfast. I got up from my seat and looked around for my unknown benefactor. I found him sprawled on the last rickety seat, fast asleep. The conductor woke him up for breakfast. As I walked up to him to return his jacket, I stammered out my apology, feeling extremely sheepish. Graciously, he waved my words aside and said, ‘Please do not feel bad. I understand why you behaved the way you did yesterday. It is okay’. We never exchanged names even, but I will never forget him. He taught me to not look at a person through the prism of pre-conditioning. He taught me that it is more important to ‘be’ the part rather than ‘look’ the part! © Shefali Vaidya
Posted on: Thu, 19 Jun 2014 04:46:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015