It was neither nonchalance nor indifference, just a passive mood. I looked at the people and their words fell on my ears alright, but I paid least attention as there was enough of struggle going on in my mind. The din in passenger trains is inescapable A hawker came, another came, they kept dropping in as they usually do, in trains. One was talking convincingly; trying to sell some item which he claimed was very cheap in comparison to market price. I forced myself out of the indolence that had set in sync with the movement of the train and my lack of interest in the world around me, and saw that the lady sitting before me was holding a golden coloured watch in her hand and was turning it over and over to checking it was genuine or not. The article looked quite pretty and I was quite surprised to know that it cost only se4venty rupees. Then only my eyes went to the sell or when he told the lady that the watch will last at least one year and she could throw it afterwards. There was such honesty in his voice and manners that I turned to scrutinize his face closely. He looked a perfect gentleman and was neatly dressed. His face belied nothing; no joy, no sorrow, no anger or mockery.
When the lady showed enough interest in buying the watch, he took out many other articles like bangles, imitation ear rings, ear buds, pens, mirrors etc. In that compartment full of people, articles, which, otherwise, would have appeared completely lacklustre, looked divine. And he kept the surprise up, by bringing out articles one after the other. Bargaining is an inevitable thing. The man disarmingly relented yet, told that he didn’t make a lot of money so the customers should be reasonable while buying. The lady’s husband asked him how much he made selling things in trains. He told that he made around sex thousand from the trade and had other petty sources too. He further told that recently he had a misfortune that beat him down or his business was going on pretty smooth. On being insisted , he told that he lost his wife recently in an accident. He escaped alive from it but his wife died on the spot. The people in the compartment were shocked to hear that , because nothing in the features of the man revealed that he had had such a terrible loss. He was calm, and went about his work in a very matter-of-fact way. Unconsciously, I kept staring at the man in awe. He looked at me and looked away. There was still nothing in his face to tell that he was sad, only an empathetic heart could see the tears that never flowed or the pain and anguish the person had bottled up inside him at the terrible turn of fate. He was a living example of patience, forbearance, and quiet acceptance of life’s unpredictable twists and turns,
WE often are knocked down by the blow of fate, we wail, grumble and whine that God has been very unkind to us, but there are people among us, very ordinary people, who have nothing extraordinary to claim, yet they face life with extraordinary quietness and courage which most of us lack. They are not beaten by the thorns, they stretch their hand towards the rose, and they bleed, yet strive for the flower. Whether they get the rose or not, that’s immaterial. Their immeasurable faith in life is what makes them unique.
