Through the Glass, In their Eyes

Most of my travelling in and around the city is done in public transport and walking. I hardly get to commute in the car and there are more chances of the sun rising in the west than of my dad allowing me to take the car for a spin. But when I do get to travel in his silver coloured Indigo, I make it a point to look at the people at the bus stops and especially beggars at signals.

The look in their eyes when you are sitting inside in the comfort of the air conditioning while they wait in the summer heat gives many a feeling of authority and in some cases a winner like emotion over those standing outside.

But it is man who decides his own fate, it is up to him whether he wants to live a life where he walks, uses the bike/bus/train or travels in the comfort of a car. He chooses a path where he lives his life by his own rules and these rules may or may not involve commuting by a transport of his choice. Despite this, one can see the anger within them due to this imbalance of power and money.  If it wasn’t for these rules and regulations to maintain decorum and public goodwill we would be seeing smashed glasses and windscreens everywhere.

But things in life come full circle. The role changes when we play the ‘ outside ‘ character when  we spend minutes waiting for public transport with horrible frequency and give those looks at the people sitting in the cars passing by through the glass with an expression of ‘ If Only ‘ .

Another example which doesn’t involve glasses and cars but speaks about the same issue is one that I used to witness during Annual Days at my school and college. I was never a child with good grades; I was one who just did enough to pass. Nor was I even remotely interested in taking part in dance, drama, sports day and all those extra-curricular activities.  But I was a good sport and always turned up for these events applauding my friends for their performance in what they did for which they ended up getting rewarded. Year after year I applauded and cheered for my friends, and then I realized that the joke is on me.

I knew that I could never study as hard as them to receive a price, nor could I dance, nor could I run as fast as those who ended up on the podium. I was just happy to be ‘average ‘and in many cases less than average. In the auditorium, the distance between the stage and the seats is much more than those few steps that you take from one end to another. It takes a lot to be on the side where people clap for you and not the other way round. I should have been happy for my friends, but gradually that happiness turned into anger. I was never jealous, as one can be jealous only when he knows he can achieve/possess what the other person has. I was angry that I didn’t make the most of myself and test myself to the best of my abilities. Soon I realized that there was no point in clapping for others but to work hard enough that people clap for you.

In both these cases it takes a lot of dedication, hard work, commitment and sincerity towards achieving your goal to be on the other side. Do we want to be inside/outside the car and do we want to clap or receive claps the choice is left to us.