It was 7:45 in the morning and as usual, I was in a rush to reach the metro station. Putting extra efforts to skip steps while climbing the fog-washed, slippery stairs of the foot over-bridge, my mind was just constantly busy counting every passing second, trying to synchronize my steps with it. Hustling fast towards the station, lost in the thoughts of reaching office just in time, something hit my ears and I suddenly paused. My calculations were lost, so was the thought of catching the metro train that was arriving at 7:53.
“Ek pen to lete jao bhaiyya, mere bachhe ki dua lagegi.” (Buy at least a pen, my child will bless you). A weary outcry, piercing through my ears got stuck in my head. The dizzy and drained-out voice was so shaky that it made me stand still for a moment.
I turned my head and saw a lady in her mid-thirties, sitting on the edge of the walkway. A tattered sheet of cloth beneath her, and a baby lying peacefully in her lap. Few pens kept next to her and few of them in her hand. “Pen lete jao bhaiya, mere bachhe ke liye doodh kharid lungi” (Buy a pen brother, I will buy my kid some milk). The same voice hit me again. This time looking straight into my eyes, she cried. My mind which usually remains pre-occupied with office-tasks and the daily deliverable, was now lost in a completely different mode. I had a chill run down my spine, while she kept staring at me with hope, visible in her deep eyes.
I stopped for a moment, looked at her pale, begging- face, glanced at her adorable kid, who was lost in a different world, and started moving hurriedly towards the metro station. I did not buy a pen, nor did I think of give her any money. I just left the scene, numb, kept walking until I reached the metro platform. It was 7:55 am and the train arriving at 7:53 ran past my sight. ‘Next train arrives in 4 minutes’, displayed the screen hanging over my head. For those 4 minutes I only thought about the lady, her dreadful voice, tired face, old tattered piece of sheet and her baby. This thought kept me occupied for a while, metro arrived at its scheduled time, I got a comfortable seat and then ‘life’ happened.
#metro_diaries.