This is a very small incident of my life that occurred a few years back but I would like to share this particular experience with a larger audience.
I am presently working as a Deputy Manager in a nationalized bank in Hyderabad. Hence, I am in charge of Safe Keys holding important branch related documents of my branch. Once it so happened that we got very late while working in the branch and I hurriedly left thereafter suddenly reminded of the time while my Branch Manager was still working as she stayed nearby. After I reached home, immediately I received a call from my Branch Manager that I had not locked the safe, which she checked while closing the branch and the keys were with me. Therefore, there was no option for me other than to go back again and lock the same, as it was very crucial for a bank.
Annoyed with myself, I gingerly left home but as my bad luck prevailed, I was not able to get an auto to take me to my branch since it was quite late. Finally, I saw an auto, which I believe, was on its way back home but stopped after watching me standing helplessly and the driver immediately offered to drive me there with extra charge. I almost jumped in but the moment I got in, I started suspecting the over-eager behavior of this auto driver as it was quite late at night. He, however, drove me to my branch where my BM was waiting with the Watchman. We locked the safes, checked everything and finally left the branch. My BM asked me about how I’ll go back home to which I readily replied, ”Ma’am , I’ll manage”(with the ” We are self-sufficient independent girls you see” attitude hardly having no idea of how I was going to manage), bade her “Good Night” and left in search of auto again.
I didn’t have to wait long as the same auto came along. This time I was seriously scared regarding the intentions of the auto driver with the thoughts of all the unpleasant incidents happening throughout India cropping up in mind whereas, I should have been happy at the thought that I won’t be facing any problem in returning home. Reluctantly, having no other way out, I boarded the auto and immediately started talking over the phone to my parents back at Kolkata and kept the phone on throughout the time I was in the auto just as a precautionary measure. The auto, however, went on to drop me to my residence safely and I came out greatly relieved. I then paid the driver who thanked me and drove away. And sooner I realized that I should thank him back too for being such a Good Samaritan for me that night but it was too late I guess and even if I replied back, “ Thank You bhaiyya!”, I doubt whether he had heard that as the auto sped up soon after. Staying and working alone in a big city, far away from home especially in India and for girls like me indeed becomes a challenge sometimes but amidst the bunch of disheartening experiences around, this incident always reminds me of the fact that the world still has ‘these’ people today who enable us to harness hope in today’s world.
Never stop trusting. Never stop believing. Cheers to life!