It felt good when the conductor handed me three coins one rupee each when I told him I had a student card while handling him a note of ten rupee. If day before yesterday I had handed him the same amount he would have gruffly asked for three rupees more. I had got a new student identity card from my new college yesterday. Why it felt good, though three rupees does not make me richer neither does it buy anything that I would love to have and unfortunately there are nothing these days I would love to have except when the chill air try to pierce my body when I return from college in my friend’s bike and I wish I wish I had a car. Other days it would have been nothing but books unfortunately not even books appeal me these days. May be its work that is taking its toll; with six projects whose deadlines are already approaching, 24 hours seem insufficient. To add to that next month there will be visits to branches something worse than a pain in the butt.
Ok, now with the three rupees I have saved six rupees in fact. How come? Had I not have the card I would have paid thirteen rupees but with card I only paid seven so thirteen minus seven is six. Unfortunately even six rupee does not make me richer so that I can quit the job tomorrow and lay in my bed my legs crossed with a good book in hand or may be a soothing music in the background. Even all the six rupees I will save these two years I won’t have anything worthy. So, where will that three rupee coin go? Most probably tomorrow when I will be leaving for office, Sarita will ask for one rupee and I will hand her two because I love to see the sparkle in her eyes when she gets more than what she wants. The other one rupee will again go to her or go missing unaccountable. The ‘materialistic concept’ of accounting which I am studying in college these days also holds for me. Why would I bother about one rupee coin? If I keep getting this concession for being a student, coins will accumulate and where will they go? Nothing worth pondering though. Let’s forget Sarita because she does not get coins everyday. Now if I give ten rupees note to the conductor he will return me 3 rupees coin. Tomorrow I will hand the other conductor a note of Rupee five and two rupee coin. Now comes again the remaining one rupee coin and since my pockets have no hole, they will be spent. One of a similar day, an old man hardly able to keep his eyes open, his bony body standing on lanky legs with support of a stick, all my coins will be poured to him. But that does not make me a philanthropist not nearer to the greatest philanthropist in the history of mankind ‘Bill Gates’, the other side says no-one in the entire history of mankind has amassed as much wealth as him. I do not dismiss his being the greatest philanthropist because had I been him I would have never done that. Now that reminds me of another thing.
Only when a colleague asked if I was going home or not I realized it was already time to leave. At the station people waited desperately for a transport and none was to come, those which came didn’t stop as they were filled to limit. After 15 minutes a bus came and there was a kind of stampede to get to the bus. Few fell but I luckily was the third person to get into the bus and secured a seat by a window. While getting into the bus, running after it, a man so aggressively pulled me and threw his hand that my specs almost fell. That didn’t count as my specs were safe, my eyes safe and I was seated in a seat by window. Everyone got into it and the bus swelled. Then it changed its route. That made me indifferent as by either route I would have reached my destination. A man raised his voice, he was to get off at the same place where I was to get off even then he said its not if the bus takes him to his destination or not it should not leave those whose destination was in the other route hopeless. He was a sage who didn’t care if it comforted him or not but he felt others should not be left as such. I didn’t care after all it will reach my destination anyway. The man was seated in front of me, he turned toward me for reasons I don’t know may be to gather my support. He was the same man who had pulled me and almost broken my specs. ‘Double standards’ my boy I said to myself. I could have done surgery on his nature, what he did and what he said then it was time for me to get off then came my change the three rupees. Oops that was where I started. Leave it……..who cares for one rupee afterall.
Ok, now with the three rupees I have saved six rupees in fact. How come? Had I not have the card I would have paid thirteen rupees but with card I only paid seven so thirteen minus seven is six. Unfortunately even six rupee does not make me richer so that I can quit the job tomorrow and lay in my bed my legs crossed with a good book in hand or may be a soothing music in the background. Even all the six rupees I will save these two years I won’t have anything worthy. So, where will that three rupee coin go? Most probably tomorrow when I will be leaving for office, Sarita will ask for one rupee and I will hand her two because I love to see the sparkle in her eyes when she gets more than what she wants. The other one rupee will again go to her or go missing unaccountable. The ‘materialistic concept’ of accounting which I am studying in college these days also holds for me. Why would I bother about one rupee coin? If I keep getting this concession for being a student, coins will accumulate and where will they go? Nothing worth pondering though. Let’s forget Sarita because she does not get coins everyday. Now if I give ten rupees note to the conductor he will return me 3 rupees coin. Tomorrow I will hand the other conductor a note of Rupee five and two rupee coin. Now comes again the remaining one rupee coin and since my pockets have no hole, they will be spent. One of a similar day, an old man hardly able to keep his eyes open, his bony body standing on lanky legs with support of a stick, all my coins will be poured to him. But that does not make me a philanthropist not nearer to the greatest philanthropist in the history of mankind ‘Bill Gates’, the other side says no-one in the entire history of mankind has amassed as much wealth as him. I do not dismiss his being the greatest philanthropist because had I been him I would have never done that. Now that reminds me of another thing.
Only when a colleague asked if I was going home or not I realized it was already time to leave. At the station people waited desperately for a transport and none was to come, those which came didn’t stop as they were filled to limit. After 15 minutes a bus came and there was a kind of stampede to get to the bus. Few fell but I luckily was the third person to get into the bus and secured a seat by a window. While getting into the bus, running after it, a man so aggressively pulled me and threw his hand that my specs almost fell. That didn’t count as my specs were safe, my eyes safe and I was seated in a seat by window. Everyone got into it and the bus swelled. Then it changed its route. That made me indifferent as by either route I would have reached my destination. A man raised his voice, he was to get off at the same place where I was to get off even then he said its not if the bus takes him to his destination or not it should not leave those whose destination was in the other route hopeless. He was a sage who didn’t care if it comforted him or not but he felt others should not be left as such. I didn’t care after all it will reach my destination anyway. The man was seated in front of me, he turned toward me for reasons I don’t know may be to gather my support. He was the same man who had pulled me and almost broken my specs. ‘Double standards’ my boy I said to myself. I could have done surgery on his nature, what he did and what he said then it was time for me to get off then came my change the three rupees. Oops that was where I started. Leave it……..who cares for one rupee afterall.
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