“What has happened to this city? Where do these many vehicles come from at the same time? How does a pedestrian supposed to walk on this road?” being irritated by the traffic I was asking these open-ended illogical sounding questions in despair to myself. It was 7:30 PM in the clock , all the IT company buses rushed to meet their SLA of on time drop facility. It was all chaos.What else could be the best way than singing a bit aloud your favourite song when no one is actually listening to it except yourself? I thought of just doing that.
As I walked along the narrow lane I heard a request from a person beside me,”Excuse me, could you help me to cross the road?”. I looked at the person. He stood still at his place. He must have been around 55 years of age. His shoulders were laden with 2 big bags carrying some incense-sticks which I guessed he might be selling to make a living, the black goggles on eyes and the red-white stick was something which caught my attention all of a sudden. Now I had understood that he was blind. Probably he had heard my voice while singing to myself and had swung his request anticipating response from anyone who would walk past him in that crowd and I was the chosen one.First feeling that came to me was sympathy for that person who was less able than me in a way because he could not see anything. I instantly said yes and offered my help, and helped him cross the road. I asked him his address and offered to help him reach his home, to my surprise he denied my request saying he traversed that path very well without any one’s help. But I could not imagine how this man would reach home without any help in such traffic, so I insisted on dropping him home.
I wondered whether he had thought that I was offering him help merely out of sympathy and that’s why he did not want it. “Ok, if you insist. Just guide me through the traffic along this road and I will tell you when we are there.” this was again a shock for me. How was he going to tell me that we have reached near his home? Before my curiosity would turn to disbelief I asked him the most logical question I could think at that moment. I asked “How do you know that the place has come? Do you count the steps while walking? ” He just smiled as if ignoring my childish question as an elder.”It is not possible to keep the count of steps we take to reach some place , especially when you walk through the traffic and the distance is in kilometers.So I don’t count the steps, just I walk along and ask for help when in need”
We may have walked some distance then he said, “Do you see aditya stores somewhere around? That is the landmark.” I glanced over all the shops and to my astonishment we were just a few feet away from that shop.” Yes the shop is here. But I won’t let you go before you tell me how did you know that we were here.Please tell me.” my reply had sprung from the surprise mixed with curiosity in my mind. He nodded so as to disclose the secret.
“I have been travelling this path for almost 20 years now. when I leave home in the morning there are two rules I follow which bring me back home in the evening.First, I trust the world, the people around me even though I cannot see them or judge them. I have this faith that whenever I will ask for help there would always be a person in that busy crowd who would come forward and offer me his help.I know they will make sure I won’t get hurt by their vehicles. They will always slow down when they find me crossing the road.This faith gives me assurance that I am not alone and disabled in any sense at all. Second and most important thing is I trust my instincts, my intuition. Whenever I feel I have walked enough to arrive at some place, I just ask someone for confirmation whether I am really at that place. Most of the times my intuition gets it right for me.So faith in the world and faith in my instincts is my way of living, nothing special. Thanks for the help.Have a good day.”
Slowly he was moving along the lane towards his house now, while I stood near the shop and kept watching him until he reached his destination. I was astonished to have found this sixth sense of that so called disabled person. I found him more enabled than me.In spite of the darkness around him he was fearless while I stood afraid of what would happen if I was in his place. I tried to close my eyes for a moment and walk a few steps but I could not dare to do it. Was it because I was not used to it? Or I didn’t trust the world? Or I didn’t trust my instincts ? I was puzzled while that man had reached home safely.
Devendra.blog 