Standing at Railway station today while waiting for my train I spotted a little girl, so scantly clad in a piece of cloth that its tough to define the article covering her tiny body. A boy who seemed to be her brother wrapped her in a thin shawl like unstitched piece of cloth and tied it snuggly around her neck. She, it seems was waiting there with her mother to travel to the same destination as I was but I was traveling in a fully air-conditioned train with various amenities, which she certainly wasn’t going to take.
At the moment, I looked at my dad and wondered what would have happened if I wasn’t born to this man standing right next to me, if I didn’t get the upbringing and the opportunities that I got and then the usual series of whys and how and when’s and who’s. What made me who I am, is it a random coincidence or a well-executed plot. Why was I chosen to play the role of ‘Shalini’ and not that young girl who stood next to me on that railway platform? For a brief moment we shared the same space and while I prayed for her and her family I realized how blessed I was and then shook with the thought that that random coincidence is at play right now and in that randomness the possibility of role reversal is not improbable.
I am a firm believer of a universal energy that is at play and makes the world go round, all for a reason and there is no randomness, its all logical and makes a difference in the big picture and its all for greater good but still moments like the one at the railway station makes me think twice, what good would come out of a little girl shivering in cold and an other overdressed girl standing right next to her. What role did I play at the moment, I judged her based on her clothes, felt sorry for her, prayed for her, thanked God that I am blessed and wrote about her in my blog. Is that it? Or is there more. She is an impression on my mind that will last forever but would that makes me a more conscious person, a more aware person. I am not sure what is the outcome of that brief encounter and how it would affect my mind in the long term but it made me think and I want the assimilation of these thoughts to remain with me when I buy that next jacket or that next pair of shoes…
At the moment, I looked at my dad and wondered what would have happened if I wasn’t born to this man standing right next to me, if I didn’t get the upbringing and the opportunities that I got and then the usual series of whys and how and when’s and who’s. What made me who I am, is it a random coincidence or a well-executed plot. Why was I chosen to play the role of ‘Shalini’ and not that young girl who stood next to me on that railway platform? For a brief moment we shared the same space and while I prayed for her and her family I realized how blessed I was and then shook with the thought that that random coincidence is at play right now and in that randomness the possibility of role reversal is not improbable.
I am a firm believer of a universal energy that is at play and makes the world go round, all for a reason and there is no randomness, its all logical and makes a difference in the big picture and its all for greater good but still moments like the one at the railway station makes me think twice, what good would come out of a little girl shivering in cold and an other overdressed girl standing right next to her. What role did I play at the moment, I judged her based on her clothes, felt sorry for her, prayed for her, thanked God that I am blessed and wrote about her in my blog. Is that it? Or is there more. She is an impression on my mind that will last forever but would that makes me a more conscious person, a more aware person. I am not sure what is the outcome of that brief encounter and how it would affect my mind in the long term but it made me think and I want the assimilation of these thoughts to remain with me when I buy that next jacket or that next pair of shoes…
I think about this a lot lately, Shalini. Especially with what has happened in Haiti. I wish I knew the full answer. But it does make me more aware of my blessings and what I can do to make a difference!
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