Having lived in Mumbai for over 18 months now, and having travelled by all forms of public transport, I considered myself exposed enough to have seen a major side of Mumbai. It was so different from the Mumbai I had experienced in my carefree days; when I used to roam around the city all day; see the goodness in people all around that made the place so magical and attractive.
Once I settled in Mumbai, everything changed. That magic disappeared. The Mumbai small town people dreaded and many a former Mumbaikars left behind; became dominant. Traffic snarls, rude, unruly people in every walk of life made it hell. I soon became a regular pessimistic Mumbaikar, cribbing about the traffic, cribbing about the filth, cribbing about the roads and state of affairs of the city. I became cynical and thought that that charm of Mumbai is fading. The people here are losing their touch with humanity and I’m getting absorbed into that cycle as well.
Being Home alone on the eve of Diwali, I decided to treat myself to some good locales and good food so as to distract myself from the gloom of being away from the family for the 1st time on this occasion. I came to Barista, Band Stand to enjoy the cool breeze and the view while sipping on some good coffee; hoping to re-kindle some passion for writing.
Settling down, I saw a lady on my side smiling at someone. Naturally my eyes turned to see the recipient of that beautiful smile. I saw someone you would normally dismiss off as a pavement dweller. My eyes went back to the lady. I thought I made a mistake. I re-aligned my vision to her target and it still was the same fellow.
The waiter came to take my order. As soon as I ordered coffee, I heard the lady shouting “Juhu Beach??” I looked at her and she was making a very animated gesture. Again my eyes followed her sight and the same fellow was conversing with her in charades. That’s when it dawned upon me, that the man’s mute and deaf. The lady was not humouring him. She had genuine interest in communicating with him. There was a bond that was very evident.
As if I was not mightily impressed already with what was going on; another family staying in the apartment above the coffee shop, out on their evening walk stopped by to greet the man. They asked him how he was doing, and played with his adopted street dog named Rahul (all of this in mime). Then the lady handed over a box of sweets and a very elegant cover containing some money to him and wished him a Happy Diwali. Again, the bond the husband, wife and their daughter shared with him was very evident.
As I observed the man further, I realized he indeed was a favourite of the regulars around him. He sells cigarettes and cleans vehicles for a living. All the waiters of both the coffee shops comprised his group of friends. They joked with him and would gather around and listen with intent whenever he had a story to tell. The thing that really got my attention was that everybody was nice to him not because he was differently-abled, but because he was a high spirited, jolly-good fellow with a smile on his face all the time. How important a role those friends played in his life was evident when the very first thing he did after receiving the box of sweets was to open it up in front of his friends and share it all with them. He had no intent of storing it and relishing at all by himself later.
I’ve experienced that doing an act of kindness lifts your spirits but today I realized witnessing an act of kindness also lifts your spirits which have been bogged down by the only face of reality you’ve been exposed to everyday over a long period of time. This too was reality. But only after I experienced it did I realize how our everyday experiences are not always the see-all, be-all as we think of them to be.
I really needed this antidote. This was the higher power pressing my refresh button. This is what I was missing of Mumbai. Now I felt that the Mumbai I missed and got attracted to in the first place is pretty much here. I just need to look beyond my regular office life to be able to notice it; which makes sense because it was those carefree days when I saw such acts of kindness at places not possible to frequent once you start working here.
I had come here hoping to find some inspiration to write. But somewhere down my rut, I had forgotten that inspiration comes from experiences and had I not decided to come down, I’d have not experienced what I did. Inspiration has not been hard to come by. I was not providing myself with enough windows for such experiences to come by.
As I was completing the above paragraph, he came back around and asked me if I wanted a smoke. I politely refused signalling I don’t smoke. Then he called out to me and asked me if I was celebrating Diwali! I said I wasn’t. He said he really enjoys watching firecrackers being burst; he loves to fly kites; and something else which I was not able to comprehend. Then he went on to tell me he cannot afford to buy firecrackers or kites as he just sells cigarettes and cleans vehicles for a living. He signalled towards the apartments above telling this is where he gets his square meals from. Some or the other family is kind enough to provide him with a meal daily.
With a very genuine concern, he exclaimed how was I alone on Diwali! How come there was no one with me! I really didn’t know how to explain in charades that how I, a normal person, much better off than him, got bogged down by work and so could not afford the joy of being with my family. I felt embarrassed and helpless. But I guess my eyes said it all. He genuinely gestured as if to say, ‘Never mind! Such things happen!!' And he set off again with a smile on his face, striking a conversation with someone else.
It was then my cheek muscles relaxed and I realized I was smiling my broadest smile when I was talking to him. It was an automatic, subconscious response to his presence, his vibe, and was definitely not out of compassion or pity.
This was the best conversation I’ve had in a long time with anyone. It was one of those conversations that leave you feeling satisfied. And it was not even verbal!!! I definitely would like to make his Diwali better so I’ll be handing him a small token of gratitude from my end. The gratitude is for making me realize how even though I’m far from my near and dear ones, in our own strange way, we shared the happiness of Diwali. The joy of a festival multiplies with the joy of giving and sharing. Well, today was my Diwali!!!
