I was reading an article in one of my friend's blog (http://pobox42111.wordpress.com/2009/01/14/i-may-have-been-conned-i-dont-care/) . I donno why, But I remembered this guy, who " was" my friend but i really never knew his name infact.
Mumbai (unbreakble) has taught me lot of wonderful things in life. One such thing is " feeling helpless". I felt very helpless one day which made me question myself about my future. It was the day I missed him. The day when I could not find him anywhere. I went to the place where we usually meet for one week continously waiting for him and thinking that he would come but he never came. It haunted me, to tell you, it still haunts me.
It all started during the rainy season'07. I dont remember which day, because i never knew that day will be very special in my life time.That day, I was going to my office in seepz. I usually start from my house in kandivali around 11, walk to the thakur complex bus stop and catch the bus to seepz @ 11.30. That day, i was waiting at the signal near thakur complex gate to cross the highway. There was a minute left for the signal to turn green for me. I was looking around so frustrated as the place around me was full of mud and I badly wanted to get out of that unclean place. I got a glimpse of a that guy. He must be some 5 or 6 years old. His dress was full of mud and his oil less hair made his appearance even more worse/ he had a bunch of flower boquets in his hand and was sitting by the side of the road. His eyes were expressing fear and i was worried that he lost his way. I started walking towards him and I noticed he saw me. The fear in his eyes grew.
I reached him and wanted to ask him " what are you doing here?". By looking at his face I could some how guess that I got to speak to him in Hindi.I got to tell you at this time, How worse my hindi was. My friends in mumbai will argue that even now it is worse :D. And in a broken hindi I some how managed to ask him what I intended for. But Clearly, he could not understand my hindi. He was now staring at me as what this girl is doing here.
I didnt quit trying
ME : Kya kar raha ho ether?
Him: Blank stare ( unable to understand my hindi)
ME: Is this for sale?
Him: Even more blank stare ( I decided to stop asking him in English)
ME: Kitna rupaya yeh phool? ( thinking that those were for sale)
Him: (A bright smile) 20 rupaya (ofcourse in hindi)
I then realised he is there to sell the boquets and he was such a small kid not even know how to do it.
Then it became a habit. Every day I would get one bouquet from him and get it to my office and give it to mamta. She is my close friend in the office and she loves flowers. you should see the expression in her face when she sees the bouquets in my hand. This way I was very happy that I made 2 friends of mine happy every day.
He started waiting for me as days passed. He would give me a big smile when he sees me in the corner of the road only. One day, He had a bunch of red roses and they were all looking very beautiful and fresh. But thinking anyhow he will sell it to some one and i can increase his profits by getting some other flower, I got the usual flower bouquet from him and started crossing the road. I heard some one calling me " didi". I was so shocked as it was him calling me.
He ran towards me with this little steps,
Him: This is for you didi. I specially brought it
Me: (surprised) But muje nahi chahiye. aur kuch ko do.
Him: Paisa nahi chahiye. mein pyar se de rahi hoon. take it
Me: (could not speak anything)
Him: Jaldi didi. you will miss your bus
All these conversation I am writing in English becasue i am unable to reproduce in hindi exactly what he said. I could remember that love in his eyes only. So please bear with me:
Me: if paisa tum get, i will get this roses, else muje nahi chahiye.
He was so confused at my hindi. I again repeated
ME : muje yeh roses free pe nahi chahiye, kitna bolo please?
He smiled and told me anything i want. I gave him some forty rupees and got those roses to the office.
Mamta was very happy to see those roses at my desk and it got transferred to her desk immediately.
Days Passed, every day I would think i should ask him and know more about him and help him more. But how?
I really never knew any way other than getting bouquet from him and smiling at him.
Then came the " D Day", when i never found him on the road. I wanted to search for him but I never knew his name. Till the day I left mumbai, My eyes were searching for him in the place where he used to stand and smile at me. but he never came back.
I was feeling very helpless as what happened to him, Why he stopped coming. I felt bad that I should have collected his details. I felt I should have done something else useful for him other than buying those bouquets. But it was too late for anything. Then came the realisation that millions of kid in india live in roads. Thinking about one kid, i am feeling this bad. But what about the others. I felt bad as I questioned myself what good I have done for the society around me. I know mere feeling bad is not going to help me out.
I swore to myself, in future , i will atleast adopt one kid in my life and give him proper education and life. but does that end everything?? But I know, Little drops make ocean.
Let us think.
Let us get united.
Let us bring humanity back into this world.
When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.
I am very sure, now when I go back to mumbai, My eyes will immediately search for him, If I can see him, now i know I will never do the mistake I did earlier. I will do something good. I have that confidence.
Mumbai (unbreakble) has taught me lot of wonderful things in life. One such thing is " feeling helpless". I felt very helpless one day which made me question myself about my future. It was the day I missed him. The day when I could not find him anywhere. I went to the place where we usually meet for one week continously waiting for him and thinking that he would come but he never came. It haunted me, to tell you, it still haunts me.
It all started during the rainy season'07. I dont remember which day, because i never knew that day will be very special in my life time.That day, I was going to my office in seepz. I usually start from my house in kandivali around 11, walk to the thakur complex bus stop and catch the bus to seepz @ 11.30. That day, i was waiting at the signal near thakur complex gate to cross the highway. There was a minute left for the signal to turn green for me. I was looking around so frustrated as the place around me was full of mud and I badly wanted to get out of that unclean place. I got a glimpse of a that guy. He must be some 5 or 6 years old. His dress was full of mud and his oil less hair made his appearance even more worse/ he had a bunch of flower boquets in his hand and was sitting by the side of the road. His eyes were expressing fear and i was worried that he lost his way. I started walking towards him and I noticed he saw me. The fear in his eyes grew.
I reached him and wanted to ask him " what are you doing here?". By looking at his face I could some how guess that I got to speak to him in Hindi.I got to tell you at this time, How worse my hindi was. My friends in mumbai will argue that even now it is worse :D. And in a broken hindi I some how managed to ask him what I intended for. But Clearly, he could not understand my hindi. He was now staring at me as what this girl is doing here.
I didnt quit trying
ME : Kya kar raha ho ether?
Him: Blank stare ( unable to understand my hindi)
ME: Is this for sale?
Him: Even more blank stare ( I decided to stop asking him in English)
ME: Kitna rupaya yeh phool? ( thinking that those were for sale)
Him: (A bright smile) 20 rupaya (ofcourse in hindi)
I then realised he is there to sell the boquets and he was such a small kid not even know how to do it.
Then it became a habit. Every day I would get one bouquet from him and get it to my office and give it to mamta. She is my close friend in the office and she loves flowers. you should see the expression in her face when she sees the bouquets in my hand. This way I was very happy that I made 2 friends of mine happy every day.
He started waiting for me as days passed. He would give me a big smile when he sees me in the corner of the road only. One day, He had a bunch of red roses and they were all looking very beautiful and fresh. But thinking anyhow he will sell it to some one and i can increase his profits by getting some other flower, I got the usual flower bouquet from him and started crossing the road. I heard some one calling me " didi". I was so shocked as it was him calling me.
He ran towards me with this little steps,
Him: This is for you didi. I specially brought it
Me: (surprised) But muje nahi chahiye. aur kuch ko do.
Him: Paisa nahi chahiye. mein pyar se de rahi hoon. take it
Me: (could not speak anything)
Him: Jaldi didi. you will miss your bus
All these conversation I am writing in English becasue i am unable to reproduce in hindi exactly what he said. I could remember that love in his eyes only. So please bear with me:
Me: if paisa tum get, i will get this roses, else muje nahi chahiye.
He was so confused at my hindi. I again repeated
ME : muje yeh roses free pe nahi chahiye, kitna bolo please?
He smiled and told me anything i want. I gave him some forty rupees and got those roses to the office.
Mamta was very happy to see those roses at my desk and it got transferred to her desk immediately.
Days Passed, every day I would think i should ask him and know more about him and help him more. But how?
I really never knew any way other than getting bouquet from him and smiling at him.
Then came the " D Day", when i never found him on the road. I wanted to search for him but I never knew his name. Till the day I left mumbai, My eyes were searching for him in the place where he used to stand and smile at me. but he never came back.
I was feeling very helpless as what happened to him, Why he stopped coming. I felt bad that I should have collected his details. I felt I should have done something else useful for him other than buying those bouquets. But it was too late for anything. Then came the realisation that millions of kid in india live in roads. Thinking about one kid, i am feeling this bad. But what about the others. I felt bad as I questioned myself what good I have done for the society around me. I know mere feeling bad is not going to help me out.
I swore to myself, in future , i will atleast adopt one kid in my life and give him proper education and life. but does that end everything?? But I know, Little drops make ocean.
Let us think.
Let us get united.
Let us bring humanity back into this world.
When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.
I am very sure, now when I go back to mumbai, My eyes will immediately search for him, If I can see him, now i know I will never do the mistake I did earlier. I will do something good. I have that confidence.
Even if its fiction, I would say that it perfectly fits the bill for a good article or write up. Though I know ambika for quite some time, I never expected her to write this one so lively and lovely.
ReplyDeleteBut i know its not fiction. I know her love and now it just reminded me of one incident when this same girl happened to meet a marathi or hindi speaking family who were lost in madurai and its quite common scene in madurai to see lots of people this way asking for help/money.
I always had this suspicion on them ki, its just one more kind of begging, though at the bottom of my heart, i used to feel, may be this one person/family alone could be genuine and used to give some money and leave them on to the roads though that money wud never take them to their homeland
Ambika spoke to them and immediately responded to them with her broken hindi but pure heart and took them o one uncle at that late evening time and saw to it that they are taken care of that night and they informed the police too. May be she dint spend any money on them but she sent them home.
Then she came home so late in the evening only to find her parents already worried about her delay....But she is determined and she is happy..
Yes ambi, true, there are millions over there whom we can help.oops, not can its SHOULD..Lets do it.
Great my maaji
(claps)
I'm touched with this article. I was more curious to read this article as soon as I read the title "Yes, He is my good Friend, but I just donno his name!!!" Good one Ambika.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that you would have this much impressive artistic and literary. Proud to have ur friendship. Wish you Gud luck... I hope you succeed in life at every step :)
Thanks!
Ravi
Got to read your blog today. Good one!!
ReplyDeleteCheers!!
Sudhir
Hey Ambi,
ReplyDeleteThe blog was a really touching one.
Very impressive one.
A devilspeaking such nice words....awesome !!
ReplyDelete