Wednesday, March 01, 2006

The Invisibles!!

The other day while whiling my time at Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus(CMBT,India) at 4:00a.m in the morning(Don't ask what I was doing there at such a weird time). I had the opportunity to observe the otherwise not so visible bi-peds. Those who have a great bearing on how smoothly our lives function, yet unknown to us. I am talking about the daily wage worker, the rickshaw wala et-al.
They all seemed to be sleeping on the dirty floor with some old newspapers neatly and appropriately placed below them as though these were their "prized" bed-covers. Most of them seemed like sleeping in a state of trance, dreaming for what they really dream!! Far away in their own sweet world.

Then from somewhere comes the deafening noise as though there is a cloud burst.
It was the policeman who had come to wake them to the realities of life.
The sound of the policeman's "Lathi" hitting the ground made most of them sit upright and look as though they were awake...But their half sleepy eyes gave away the truth.

Most of them sat up, to move on and face another day in their lives which somehow was not comfortable for them. while some of them slept nonchalantly knowing it was a daily routine. They sat up and went back to those sweet dreams, as though not wanting to face the "realities", as soon as the policeman left. Those who had woken had by this time disappeared in the crowd as "the invisibles" ready to support the human civilization hoping for once they get their due credit.

Watching all this made me realize how indifferent we are to our fellow beings and how we "overlook" the implied. Anyhow it was time for me to move on and try to figure out how not to ignore "the invisibles" from now on........

Can see them really!!!