I met a stranger today. Since I don’t live in a sappy romantic movie, it wasn’t love at first sight with a tall dark handsome hunk. And, since I don’t live in an action packed thriller novel, my life wasn’t hurled into a series of unfortunate events. I live in fact in enchanting reality – a medley of emotions, a sequence of precious moments, a rollercoaster ride of highs & lows. I live in a reality where time is rare & trust rarer. I live in a reality where life often passes us by in a blur. I live in reality – and it is this fact that makes a chance encounter and polite conversation with an utter stranger noteworthy. And Reality looks something like this...
I wait for 20 minutes, amidst a weary crowd, for the local train to arrive so that the next 30 minutes of my travel are a tad more comfortable. And as I wait patiently, I watch 5 trains go by – all brimming with people. People alight and just as many board the train, all seem lost in their thoughts. All seem to look and none see, all hear but none listen... I wonder at this thought as I bound into my train. Here too hardly a word passes between strangers. Even when necessity forces people to talk to each other, the exchange has only precise words with measured courtesy. Marvelling at how we so literally took our mothers when they told us sternly, “Don’t talk to strangers”, I fall into a fitful sleep.
I alight half an hour later at the bustling suburb I call home. If you thought that siblings could only be separated at the Kumbh Mela, you obviously haven’t been here during “peak hours”. You can lose yourself in this crowd. Without any effort you will be propelled forward by the sheer energy in this throng of thousands (which is a euphemism for saying “you will be nudged and pushed until you have no option but to move with the crowd”). And here, even if you wish to disobey your mother’s instructions, you will be unable to do so!
As you finally step out onto the road, you barely have a minute to drag in a deep breath as you instantly have to begin dodging traffic. And as you, along with hundred others, vie for the attention of the auto drivers, all civility and common courtesy is lost.
And in a cruel world like this, to actually exchange a smile with a fellow fatigued traveller is as likely as Mumbai not getting flooded after even a drizzle. And in the rare mood that I was, I smiled sympathetically to another stranded victim of Mumbai’s transport system. The smile was returned and followed by a question, “Which way are you headed?” I answered and threw in a question of my own, “What about you?”
As it turned out we were headed in the same direction, so we decided that 2 is better than 1 when it comes to tackling the arrogant autowallahs. Our combined efforts paid off and soon we were on our way, relieved to be bumping over the familiar potholes rather than wading through them. The stranger heaved a sigh of respite and I grinned in response and then we were talking – what we do, where we live, work and studies, the pain of travelling in Mumbai till the stranger’s home arrives...
And after that spontaneous conversation I couldn’t help but smile... We may never see each other again, hidden in this mob of millions but if we do I know that we will at least stop to smile.
Now I marvel at the amazing feeling of sharing an instant connection with another person – a knowing smile, a kind word, an unexpected compliment, a helping hand, an encouraging look, a reassuring pat, or a conversation with a complete stranger...
