Sunday, September 9, 2012

A day with a Special Person


I have seen most of us are depressed with our life with working hours in Office,money,pressure to sustain,to live on expectations of others  but on that day two weeks ago saw a ray of hope. While I was returning back to home from work in a shared Auto, it suddenly stopped on the sideways, I thought some passenger would come along yes there was one but this one was special.He was a Blind Boy , he instructed Autowallah to drop him at Kaushambi #delhimetro station the very place where I was going too.

Me and  Friend Amit were sitting besides him and observing him. As the station was about to come he guided Autowallah to stop the Auto and we both were blown away he knew that station had came without actually seeing it.

Now we got down with him and tried to help him out little[don't know he needed any help] He was a young Boy in his late teens Carrying a folding stick in his hand a Backpack and a flattened Box in a Polythene Bag and an Identity card dangling in his neck. I tried to observe his eyes which were covered in a cheap Goggle but could not.

We asked him can we help him to get to his Metro and he replied sure we can. You need to climb escalators to get down to entrance of Metro station and then with frisking from security guard you enter the premises. While I hold on to his Polythene Bag Amit helped him out to make it to the station.

As we made it to the entrance he needed to purchase the token for Metro, there was a small line on that day at counter some college guys and girls were in that line, seeing him standing in line girls instructed their friends to get off the line and give him the way and he got his token pretty soon. Now I took his backpack and Bag and placed it in the Xray machine while I was doing this I sensed he was little apprehensive about his belongings and was rightly so as were new to him. 

While we helped him to get to the platforms I thought it was the right time too have some chat with him. I asked him where he was from and where he is going. He replied he belongs to Darjeeling and is going to Saket to treat a patient for acupressure. He said he is living in Delhi since 2010 and have learnt about acupressure after completing his schooling from which he makes his living .We asked him about it visibility and he replied he has zero visibility in his eyes. To reach Saket it would take around an hour and interchanging of trains at Rajiv Chowk too. I inquired whether he knew the place where he was going and how he would return ? He said as you had helped me here someone will do there too and he was not sure when and how he would return but he did not felt any nervous about it but we were.

On that day I was going till Rajiv Chowk while on most of days I go further than Saket so I would have dropped him at Saket. I said we will get down at Rajiv Chowk and help him to board next train till Saket. Now the train to Rajiv Chowk arrived we boarded with him and he got a seat where he sat with all his luggage. As he sat he gave his Polythene Bag to one of the passengers to hold on to and he took his identity card from his neck and placed it inside his Bag. We didn't had any word with him while he was there in Metro we just were standing in from of him he thought we had left him. As the Rajiv Chowk station was about to arrive he left his seat[you get automatic voice notifications of stations arriving in #delhimetro] we again hold his hand and suddenly he knew it was us again. I said we will exit at Rajiv Chowk but we will tell someone to help him board the train to Saket for which he needed to go downstairs.

As we came out of Metro it was huge chaos there[as always] no body gave any look on to him and everyone was busy with themselves. We tried to convince any person to help him out but everyone was in hassle to catch theirs metro, so we decided we would go downstairs with him and make him board the train. I asked him whether he would like to go  downstairs with Escalators or by Stairs he said he would like Escalator. Reaching downstairs there was a huge crowd a train was there we tried to help him to get in but then it left soon without him. 

As the next train arrived there was a young Boy who sensed the situation and said he would help him board the train. We said he will be going till Saket, he affirmed us don't worry and he will help him out. As we were about to leave the Blind guy thanked us for the help.

Leaving behind him I thought about the Boy how confident he was while we were worrying about him he was like it was daily stuff for him to travel and go to work.I think when a person is born with a disability God gave him some extra powers to deal with it. For that Boy he was born without his eyes there was nothing like light or sight for him it was normal for him without it.

Telling you about traveling in #delhimetro I have never seen anyone slipping on stairs or felling down in my one and a half years of day in day out traveling on it. But me a person with no disability once fell down on stairs and rolled down and injured myself and every eyes were upon me like I had committed some crime and then one person helped me to get up. I was very embarrassed that day. Moral of the story - It does not matter while you have eyes or not what matters is to have sense of presence.

And yes you must be wondering what was the Name of that Blind Guy ? So bad of me I had forgotten his name while his face is still fresh in front of my eyes.



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