Roaring Silence

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.