When I stepped outside office, to drop into the courier service shop, I noticed an old man, probably working in some construction site, in his early sixties squatted outside the entrance. The place was swarming with flies, people littered everywhere on the ground, the place smelt bad and it was literally like a garbage dump. As I waited for the courier guy to write the receipt, I observed the old man outside. The old man was still in the same squat position - I was surprised because that is a hard posture to assume for long, especially for elderly people. He had a battered plastic water bottle with around 200ml of tea on his left hand. He poured a little into an equally shabby looking plastic cup and sipped from it. In five sips he finished the cup and poured another cup of tea from the bottle. You would say the scene was deplorable but I found something fascinating amidst the gloom - maybe it was the way he relished his cup of tea squatting on the muddy ground hardly worried about the grim surroundings - flies, litter, garbage, sweat; focusing fully on what he was doing and least worried about the background. It reminded me of Arjuna, the master archer in Mahabharata, who when taking aim at the eye of a wooden bird on a tree said that he could see only the eye of the bird and nothing else.
I don't know when was the last time I relished a cup of milk like that - forget a drink, I don't know if we ever relish anything the way he cherished that bottle of tea. He was truly enjoying those few minutes - poignant.
We spend our time in worry,
and time runs in a big hurry.
Our mind cooks many a curry,
later for lost time we feel sorry.
We think so much abt future and pension,
and add to our daily dose of tension.
We ignore our real passion,
and follow the crowd's fashion.
Our time out here is limited,
out of which many days we've wasted.
I wish we break free from our fears,
from others faces wipe away sad tears,
work daily bright and cheerful,
and progress to our dream zestful.
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