I think it was two years ago when I was in high school, the principal gave a speech on blessings. I don't remember it fully though but she said one thing which created a blank sector in my mind. She said "count your blessings". My mind started to find a logical connection for the phrase immediately at that moment. I didn't actually listen whatever she said after that. After some time my mind showed me a white flag for failure of polishing a logical joint. As the time passed on, I forgot it. Many elderly people blessed me when I touched their feet but that phrase never struck me again. Today, after two years or so, a man in his early 40s blessed me for my small assistance.
I was getting back home after meeting a friend in the morning at around 9 AM or so, a man came from behind and asked:
"Bhaiya!.. Where is the station?"
"Which station?" I asked.
".. railway station" he replied.
"Yeah.. It is nearby. Take a left from here and go straight." I answered.
And he went on his way till a point and suddenly turned back at me.
"Bhaiya! Is it this station only?"
I said, "Yeah.. This is the only railway station in this area."
But then I noticed that he was carrying a tourist bag on his back and I was getting quite sure enough that he was lost.
I asked him, "Where you have to go?"
Then he took out a bunch of folded papers from his pocket, searched for the right one, and showed it to me. It was a rail boarding ticket.
"Umm... Date of journey... 6th Oct.. okay... 15:35.. alright..." I was reading.
"Ya ya.. exactly bhaiya." he went on syncing with me.
"The train is for Bilaspur and you have to depart from Delhi Safdarjung."
"yes yes... bilaspur... that's where I have to go... That's my place." he made it definite.
"Hmmm.. but this is not Delhi Safdajung. It's just a local train station. No express trains depart or arrive here."
He then again took out some other bunch of papers and showed me one which was written in Hindi. I am quite weak in reading Hindi language.
"Motteee - Bhaag.. Okay okay.. Moti Bagh.. yes.. that is where Delhi Safdarjung is." I said.
... And I can see his eyes filled with joy, gaining trust on me.
"So from where I have to go Bhaiya?" he asked desperately.
"You see it is quite far from here. Take a bus or an auto-rickshaw." I said.
"Okay.. bus.. Which bus shall I take bhaiya?" he enquired.
"You better prefer an auto-rickshaw. It will drop you at the exact place." I answered.
"They will charge a big amount of money right? Maybe around 200-250 rupees?" he asked.
"No!.. who said that? A max amount of 40 rupees shall be charged from here." I replied strongly.
"Is it so bhaiya?" he questioned.
"Yeah..." I answered.
But he was a denial. He wanted to save money by commuting by a bus.
"I think bus would be a better option." he said.
But again he suddenly made his mind to spend 40 rupees for an auto.
"No no bhaiya.. You are right. Three-wheeler is a better option." he said.
"Yeah." replying with no substitute for my reply.
"Can you help me hire one bhaiya?" he asked.
"Sure. Why not?" I replied.
The auto stand was on the way and meanwhile he went on clarifying his chaos with the big city.
"Bhaiya, so were they making me roam like a fool in the city?" he got me puzzled.
I asked, ".. who they?"
"The railway enquiry people. I first went to New Delhi. Then they sent me to Nee-jaa-moodin station and from there, they sent me here."
"Yeah.. those are waste fellows." I said.
"Okay.. so they are waste fellows." he said as if I was dictating something to him and he was making notes of it.
"Your train is at 2.30 PM or so, then why are you going to the station so early? Still five hours are there." I enquired him.
"Bhaiya I came to Delhi just a few days ago. I was quite scared that I would be lost in this big city. So that's why I wanted to reach there as early as possible." he said using past tense which made me clear that he was relying on me.
"You have been lost." I replied.
He gave me a laugh.
We reached the auto stand where I hired an auto for thirty-five rupees. He then looked at me with a defined smile, took my hand in his hands and touched it with his forehead which depicted that I meant like an idol to him. He then thanked me and went off.
I don't know his name, I don't know his religion, I don't know his anything. He is just a person who came to me seeking for a little help. What I meant to him, it was his view. But I took his view as a blessing for me. At that time, the speech by my school principal got me again. Especially the still evergreen phrase, "count your blessings." I again wanted to shape the logic behind the phrase. But this time, I paused and said to myself:
Some phrases don't have any logic behind them. It might have and maybe I shall realize the true meaning of this after some more time of experience. Till then, I shall follow it and 'count my blessings'.
I was getting back home after meeting a friend in the morning at around 9 AM or so, a man came from behind and asked:
"Bhaiya!.. Where is the station?"
"Which station?" I asked.
".. railway station" he replied.
"Yeah.. It is nearby. Take a left from here and go straight." I answered.
And he went on his way till a point and suddenly turned back at me.
"Bhaiya! Is it this station only?"
I said, "Yeah.. This is the only railway station in this area."
But then I noticed that he was carrying a tourist bag on his back and I was getting quite sure enough that he was lost.
I asked him, "Where you have to go?"
Then he took out a bunch of folded papers from his pocket, searched for the right one, and showed it to me. It was a rail boarding ticket.
"Umm... Date of journey... 6th Oct.. okay... 15:35.. alright..." I was reading.
"Ya ya.. exactly bhaiya." he went on syncing with me.
"The train is for Bilaspur and you have to depart from Delhi Safdarjung."
"yes yes... bilaspur... that's where I have to go... That's my place." he made it definite.
"Hmmm.. but this is not Delhi Safdajung. It's just a local train station. No express trains depart or arrive here."
He then again took out some other bunch of papers and showed me one which was written in Hindi. I am quite weak in reading Hindi language.
"Motteee - Bhaag.. Okay okay.. Moti Bagh.. yes.. that is where Delhi Safdarjung is." I said.
... And I can see his eyes filled with joy, gaining trust on me.
"So from where I have to go Bhaiya?" he asked desperately.
"You see it is quite far from here. Take a bus or an auto-rickshaw." I said.
"Okay.. bus.. Which bus shall I take bhaiya?" he enquired.
"You better prefer an auto-rickshaw. It will drop you at the exact place." I answered.
"They will charge a big amount of money right? Maybe around 200-250 rupees?" he asked.
"No!.. who said that? A max amount of 40 rupees shall be charged from here." I replied strongly.
"Is it so bhaiya?" he questioned.
"Yeah..." I answered.
But he was a denial. He wanted to save money by commuting by a bus.
"I think bus would be a better option." he said.
But again he suddenly made his mind to spend 40 rupees for an auto.
"No no bhaiya.. You are right. Three-wheeler is a better option." he said.
"Yeah." replying with no substitute for my reply.
"Can you help me hire one bhaiya?" he asked.
"Sure. Why not?" I replied.
The auto stand was on the way and meanwhile he went on clarifying his chaos with the big city.
"Bhaiya, so were they making me roam like a fool in the city?" he got me puzzled.
I asked, ".. who they?"
"The railway enquiry people. I first went to New Delhi. Then they sent me to Nee-jaa-moodin station and from there, they sent me here."
"Yeah.. those are waste fellows." I said.
"Okay.. so they are waste fellows." he said as if I was dictating something to him and he was making notes of it.
"Your train is at 2.30 PM or so, then why are you going to the station so early? Still five hours are there." I enquired him.
"Bhaiya I came to Delhi just a few days ago. I was quite scared that I would be lost in this big city. So that's why I wanted to reach there as early as possible." he said using past tense which made me clear that he was relying on me.
"You have been lost." I replied.
He gave me a laugh.
We reached the auto stand where I hired an auto for thirty-five rupees. He then looked at me with a defined smile, took my hand in his hands and touched it with his forehead which depicted that I meant like an idol to him. He then thanked me and went off.
I don't know his name, I don't know his religion, I don't know his anything. He is just a person who came to me seeking for a little help. What I meant to him, it was his view. But I took his view as a blessing for me. At that time, the speech by my school principal got me again. Especially the still evergreen phrase, "count your blessings." I again wanted to shape the logic behind the phrase. But this time, I paused and said to myself:
Some phrases don't have any logic behind them. It might have and maybe I shall realize the true meaning of this after some more time of experience. Till then, I shall follow it and 'count my blessings'.
