On march 30th I was in Hyderabad to attend an interview. It was held in a hotel and after the interview was done my cousin came to pick me up. It was fine till then.. until I was in the 4 star hotel where it was so comfy n chilly that it made me miss my winter wear. Once the bike hit the road that’s when hell started to move closer.. It was so hot.. damn hot.. It felt like my skin was burning and I knew it would take almost an hour to reach the destination. People on the road were covered from head to toe literally to protect themselves from the scorching sun and pollution. Unfortunately I didn’t carry any summer protection gear and so I was prepared to bear the consequences..
I closed my eyes and stopped looking around and after some time when we reached a busy lane I opened my eyes and saw many.. I don’t know exactly how many but it was like.. look at any point there you would see a coaching institute. The road was completely covered with colorful pamphlets and the sides with banners.The area I was in is called Ameerpet and suddenly we crossed something shiny and as the bike was speeding up I looked back and was taken aback by what I have seen. It was a man who was painted in silver trying to look like a statue of Mahatma Gandhi and I was like “Is he insane !!!”
Our bike crossed the street and countless thoughts popped in my mind. How can someone stand under the sun frozen, painted in some chemical which obviously is not a sun block. Standing there and basking in the sun for 5 min, that’s vitamin D.. Standing there and getting exposed to U.V rays for 50 min, that’s risk. I wondered if people in that busy street are even looking at him and mind you he was not begging or demanding money or irritating or cursing like some people do..not following or forcing people around to get some money. He was absolutely still. I just wished at that moment some banner tilts or moves or flies to protect him from the sun or else something happens to move him to a shady place..
It’s not that I haven’t seen anyone in such conditions before but it was the timing in which I have seen him that made the big difference and touched my core. I was dying and burning in the heat and it felt as if I was on flames like a ghost rider and suddenly I see this person trying to earn his bread n butter standing under the sun who could that day easily melt a bucket of butter in less than a couple of hours. Why did he chose that.. why would he do that.. why not any other job.. Is this unemployment.. !! I used to sometimes think that everyone works somewhere..service or business or agriculture, then what is it with this unemployment thing. Now I understand.. How privileged and blessed most of us are.. some to be born rich.. some to have a person to support them.. some to be well educated.. some to have a decent job but only few are lucky enough to realize that they are blessed.
We always want more..never satisfied with the things around us. In fact that’s the way we should be. ”Never settle for the good, try for the best” .. but it would feel great if atleast for once in life we think about the things around us. Instead of trying to make our lives best and even more and more, try making the life of some not so blessed person into a better one. Let’s for example take a monthly salary of 50000 in whatever currency you like. Spending 10% of it i.e 5000 for charity..hmm not so easy for many. How about 1% i.e 500..may be difficult for some. Okay 0.1% i.e 50.. I know many would say ” Come on, 0.1% ..It’s just nothing ” but many people don’t even give the “nothing” .. not even 0.01% forget about 0.1%..
I’m not trying to say that anyone is wrong. I’m not asking you to give money or any tangible items.. just asking you to think. See I never thought about these kinda things before.. i mean philosophical things because that's not my area and I was too busy with me, myself 'n' me but what I saw provoked my mind to think all this. Change : micro or macro can happen anytime, anywhere and because of anybody. I always like writing funny things and rhyming poems but I am actually feeling good and happy that I have written this. I just wanted to share my experience and thoughts with others. If just one person spends a few precious seconds of time in thought after reading this , that will be my “Reward”..
This is dedicated to the man in “SILVER “ who is obviously the reason I wrote it..
Thank you for reading..
