Imagine ‘silence’ being listed in the stock markets. The shareholders
will never be disappointed and the dividends would just lure more customers.
But in reality it is hard to find such a place, (place is a very broad term),
it is even hard to find a moment of silence in our lives. Even if the
environment is quiet enough, the restless thoughts keep the convolutions in the
brain going. There is no place under the sun where you can treasure some
moments of peace in life.
It was a long journey throughout the day. I was desperately
looking for some place where I could find some peace at least till I reached
home. I boarded a bus, took a ticket and sank in my seat. Nathaniel Baldwin is a
person whose contribution can never be ignored and one can never be thankful
enough for his invention. He is the only person whose invention makes some
sense in this clamorous world- the headphones. I quickly stuffed a pair of
earphones and was lost sketching my virtual world. In the streets of Vizag (Visakhapatnam)
you can rarely find a bus that is not overcrowded. The howling students
released from their tuitions make the journey even more miserable. It was a scorching
Saturday afternoon and the bus carried very few passengers- what a relief. I
was enjoying the ride until I saw a bunch of faces in the very next stop.
There were about 20 faces in all. Most of them were students all
dressed neatly in the uniforms and yes shiny black shoes. The girls had white
ribbons hanging from their pretty long plaited hair. The shades of their
uniform were rarely matching. The boys wore blue trousers and white shirts, and
the girls had the same combination in skirt and blouse. Each boy had a tidy partitioned
hair. This was a rare sight. All of them had an emblem etched onto their
pockets which resembled a dove sitting on a branch. The front seats were
occupied by two ladies who must have been their teacher. There was this lady all
clad in a sari and had a charming smile. She took few toffees out from her hand
bag and gave it to some of them. Then a flood of handshakes made it clear it
was her birthday. All the hands waving in the air clumsily and their lips
moving fast. I dare remove my earphones. The teacher finally stood and all the
hands started clapping. With shining teeth all of them started chattering.
Their hand were moving very fast and their fingers as if chanting something.
Their eyes wide open and filled with expressions. Another troupe of classical
dancers I said to myself. The road had a few bumps and a little girl stumbled and
fell on the floor. I grabbed the phones out of my ears and helped the little
one. All eyes on me at once. That was not the point, I was terrified. There was
complete silence. For a moment I thought I screwed my eardrums. But I could
hear the engine growling and few whispers here and there. In no time there were
smiles all over the place. I felt a sudden upsurge of warmth and happiness. The
teacher walked up to me and handed me a few confectionaries, I understood she
conveyed her thanks. The children all clapped their hands, I felt a lump down
my throat. The bus again squealed and finally came to a stop. There was no
confusion - no pushing and pulling, all of them formed a queue and walked down
the aisle and climbed down the steps. One of them gently bowed the head in
respect to the driver and finally when all of them descended, a hand tapped the
bus door signaling to leave. I looked behind, all of them were waving their
hands. These students from a nearby school were deaf and dumb. I sat in my
place and smiled to myself. A feeling as if I have discovered the true meaning of silence dawned upon me. My heart was filled with content.
I learnt a simple lesson. We grumble day and night, working on the imperfect ‘myself’.
Maybe time has come to live a happy life respecting the imperfections and to
discover joys beyond the materialistic world. 