Written on: Oct 29, 2012
We all are very busy in our life, and we are least bothered about what happens around us! The question is—why should we bother? I mean… c’mon! We have our own life to lead and we are pretty happy with whatever we do; so why don’t we just enjoy it? This was my ideology until one day…
Ina meena dika…
Day Daama Daaka…
Maka naka naka…
Chika Pika Rika…
It was about two years ago, and I was on a local bus. I had my earphones plugged in and was listening to some Hindi songs by Kishore Kumar.
I was sitting on the seat right beside the back door of the bus, and two people were sitting in front of me, facing me. One of them was an older man, approximately 40–50 years old, sitting by the window. He was dressed like a villager—white dhoti, kurta, and a red towel draped over his shoulder. I might have seen him before, maybe in other BMTC buses, as his face seemed familiar.
While I was trying to distract myself from the heat with music, I noticed something strange. The eyes of the older man in front of me were wet. He seemed lost in thought. And probably because of those thoughts, the tears in his eyes were slowly increasing. After a while, he used his thumb and forefinger to wipe them and then turned his face toward the window. But the pain in his heart was probably even deeper. Slowly, he used his towel to wipe his tears, very cautiously, trying not to draw any unwanted attention.
Noticing that he didn’t want to be seen, I tried to shift my focus back to my song…
Ina meena dika…dika…
De… Day Daama Daaka…
Maka naka maka naka…
Chika Pika Rika…rika…
rum pum posh…
rum pum posh…
And then, a gust of wind brought a drop of his tears onto my hand—probably a signal for me to pay attention to what was happening. I returned to the present moment and saw him still crying. Within a few minutes, he managed to regain control, and gradually he was back to normal. He then looked around to check if, by chance, he had gathered any attention. And at that moment, I happened to look into his eyes…
The eyes… full of pain… looking for alternatives… looking for solutions… looking for help… yet silent… stiff… a kind of sacrifice.
And a series of thoughts rushed through my mind:
“Shall I ask him what the problem is? Maybe I can help him… But what help can I actually offer? At least I can console him… Would that even matter? He seems old enough not to need consolation… Maybe he doesn’t want any—that’s probably why he was hiding his tears… Should I at least try? But why should I try?”
And nothing came out of those thoughts. I just sat there, dumb and inactive, and did nothing.
That night, I couldn’t sleep properly. Those eyes were still locked in my memory. I was disturbed. I got up and sat on my bed. And then another wave of thoughts ran through my mind—probably for an hour—and here’s the summary:
The answer to the question “Why should we bother?” is very simple:
Somewhere deep within us, we are all searching for peace of mind.
We donate to charity.
We look for homes in quiet neighborhoods.
We go on long drives through peaceful routes.
We trek.
We visit temples.
All of it—for peace of mind.
If we look around, we’ll see the world is full of pain. Although we can’t help everyone, we can definitely take one step forward for our loved ones!
Look at our parents—how often do we sit with them and talk about something other than ourselves?
Something they once wanted to achieve but couldn’t…
Something their heart is still quietly yearning for…
Maybe a small trip to Singapore.
Maybe something materialistic.
Or maybe something beyond the material.
Those eyes of the old man… they’re still vivid in front of me. I will never forget them—because they always remind me to do that extra bit for those closest to me.
And because of those eyes, I often take tiny but steady steps on the road less traveled.
People reading this are either those who have already achieved or are on the path to achieving remarkable success.
And to all of us, here’s a small reminder:
Let’s not wait!
Let’s not wait until we make our first million to make a difference in someone’s life.
If we have something to give—let’s give it now.
Last modified on 2012-10-29