Sunday, September 08, 2013
Train to Osmania
On 27th of aug I got this mail from Mr jagdish Shetty regarding Conference on National-Security Our perception , to addressed by Dr. Subhramanium Swamy to be held in Osmania University on 31st of aug. I told about this to few of my friends at office of which Abhishek and Bhawani agreed. Though Bhawani said at the end. So me and Abhishek went there and it was none less than an adventure. The venue was changed but wasn't conveyed to me so it took us more than half an hour to finally reach there. I decided to take few books that I ordered on Social Media as watch dogs to give it to few people there.
We started from my home with a friend. He talked to one of his team mate who knew places around and asked him which stop to get off from MMTS. We inquired anyway from the counter and they told that they have a stop at JAmia Osmania on a train which goes to Phalaknuma. It wasn't long before we were on the train and we talked about personal and political stuff. I told him few things that i have noticed during my previous visit to Swamy g's conferences as it was his first one of this kind. He was very much calm and thoughtful. He has been like this since past few days. Don't know might be cause of personal stuff.
On one of the stop , don't know which one, I saw an old man, very old man selling some snack in a towkri he got up on the train. He was old. His legs were bend both of them. Don't was it cause of his old body or cause of the load he was carrying in one of hand. He was limping while walking. His whole was shaking while he was looking around for some customers. He was wearing a pare of thick glasses, quite old they were. I wasn't able to look through in his eyes. He wearing an old dhoti tied in a way that they were reaching till his knees only. I was just watching him and suddenly I asked him for a deal of roasted ground nuts. He was carry two kind of snacks one roasted ground nuts but wasn't able to figure out the next one but they were familiar and I know that I don't like them. He stood beside me to offer me the snack as I was watching him he bend forward in a very obliging manner and I couldn't wait to ask him for another one. I gave him 20 rupees and he told me that it was 5 Rs a deal. He took out a piece of paper which he folded in a shape of cup to pour some ground nuts in it , but before he could do that some he thought of giving me my change in return. He took out few coins of ones and twos and started counting them to give me. He gave me a 5 Rs change. Some pieces few cause of the wind and me and Abhishek fought to collect them but couldn't help much as we knew old man wasn't able to. He made a gesture to not collect them any more and we stopped. He gave me 10 Rs and I got confused and returned him 5 Rs. The ground nuts were very good in fact and I offered them to Abhishek, he also liked it. And we got busy eating them but inside I was just thinking about this man and whether what I did was able to help him in some way. Should I have offered him more than he asked for? I was confused. And I wasn't able to look beyond what I was thinking and didn't know which stop and how he got off. But inside me I was filled with respect and admiration for that old man. He was old and might be having so many dependants to support. He wasn't begging but managing his resources. The ground nuts were not bad at all, being a junkie for ground nuts i can tell you they were of good quality. That old man was not capable of walking fast, he was not capable of shouting or crying for people to sell. All of his energy was just to roam around with basket full of snacks. All he spoke during our transaction were 5 Rs , that's it.
We got busy talking and when we were not talking I was lost in my thoughts. Suddenly, when I thought we were about to reach the station I look outside and saw a board that read "Jamia Osmania" and I shouted. And by the time I just got off the train started moving. Phew.... :)
We asked a passer by for the route to the university and to our shock we were inside university only. Then somehow talking to people of the road we reached our destination only to know that the lecture has been shifted to another spot. Till that time we had already walked 30 mins and it was right across Arts College building. After reaching there we asked few students that we could find for the direction to reach PRR Reddy auditorium. We got to the security check. The guard asked me to side to check the bag I was carrying. I asked me to show him the books that I was carrying , so I told him that I have brought them to distribute them for free. As soon as I told him that these books are for free. I told me that he is going to keep one for himself to read. And I was like ok. Here goes my 200 Rs in the gutter.:)
We got there and thanked god we were able to find a drinking water there. We got into the conference hall. And I gave Abhishek the chance to choose the seat for us. And he chose the one nearest to the stage he could seat. We sat and waited like for 20 mins or so after Dr. Swamy came.
We started from my home with a friend. He talked to one of his team mate who knew places around and asked him which stop to get off from MMTS. We inquired anyway from the counter and they told that they have a stop at JAmia Osmania on a train which goes to Phalaknuma. It wasn't long before we were on the train and we talked about personal and political stuff. I told him few things that i have noticed during my previous visit to Swamy g's conferences as it was his first one of this kind. He was very much calm and thoughtful. He has been like this since past few days. Don't know might be cause of personal stuff.
On one of the stop , don't know which one, I saw an old man, very old man selling some snack in a towkri he got up on the train. He was old. His legs were bend both of them. Don't was it cause of his old body or cause of the load he was carrying in one of hand. He was limping while walking. His whole was shaking while he was looking around for some customers. He was wearing a pare of thick glasses, quite old they were. I wasn't able to look through in his eyes. He wearing an old dhoti tied in a way that they were reaching till his knees only. I was just watching him and suddenly I asked him for a deal of roasted ground nuts. He was carry two kind of snacks one roasted ground nuts but wasn't able to figure out the next one but they were familiar and I know that I don't like them. He stood beside me to offer me the snack as I was watching him he bend forward in a very obliging manner and I couldn't wait to ask him for another one. I gave him 20 rupees and he told me that it was 5 Rs a deal. He took out a piece of paper which he folded in a shape of cup to pour some ground nuts in it , but before he could do that some he thought of giving me my change in return. He took out few coins of ones and twos and started counting them to give me. He gave me a 5 Rs change. Some pieces few cause of the wind and me and Abhishek fought to collect them but couldn't help much as we knew old man wasn't able to. He made a gesture to not collect them any more and we stopped. He gave me 10 Rs and I got confused and returned him 5 Rs. The ground nuts were very good in fact and I offered them to Abhishek, he also liked it. And we got busy eating them but inside I was just thinking about this man and whether what I did was able to help him in some way. Should I have offered him more than he asked for? I was confused. And I wasn't able to look beyond what I was thinking and didn't know which stop and how he got off. But inside me I was filled with respect and admiration for that old man. He was old and might be having so many dependants to support. He wasn't begging but managing his resources. The ground nuts were not bad at all, being a junkie for ground nuts i can tell you they were of good quality. That old man was not capable of walking fast, he was not capable of shouting or crying for people to sell. All of his energy was just to roam around with basket full of snacks. All he spoke during our transaction were 5 Rs , that's it.
We got busy talking and when we were not talking I was lost in my thoughts. Suddenly, when I thought we were about to reach the station I look outside and saw a board that read "Jamia Osmania" and I shouted. And by the time I just got off the train started moving. Phew.... :)
We asked a passer by for the route to the university and to our shock we were inside university only. Then somehow talking to people of the road we reached our destination only to know that the lecture has been shifted to another spot. Till that time we had already walked 30 mins and it was right across Arts College building. After reaching there we asked few students that we could find for the direction to reach PRR Reddy auditorium. We got to the security check. The guard asked me to side to check the bag I was carrying. I asked me to show him the books that I was carrying , so I told him that I have brought them to distribute them for free. As soon as I told him that these books are for free. I told me that he is going to keep one for himself to read. And I was like ok. Here goes my 200 Rs in the gutter.:)
We got there and thanked god we were able to find a drinking water there. We got into the conference hall. And I gave Abhishek the chance to choose the seat for us. And he chose the one nearest to the stage he could seat. We sat and waited like for 20 mins or so after Dr. Swamy came.
