the new year gift...

I was drafting my out of office mailbox reply, while office boy came and asked with hesitation 'Sir, are you busy'. 'Not much, just finishing things before leaving' I said. 'Sir, I need to check 1 thing on internet' he said. 'OK, check' I said. 'Sir, I need to search bicycle for kids in OLX, can you help me?' he said. 'OK' I said and started searching his query in OLX. Now monitor was showing some results of kids bicycle with rate, which ranged from Rs 500 to Rs 5000. 'Sir, can you open this link?' he said while pointing to Rs 500 bicycle. 'This seems pretty old, can you open this of 2000?' he said. 'Ohh, this is bigger than what I am looking for...I am looking this for my 4 years kid' he said. 'OK, this one looks good' I said while pointing out 1 cycle. 'How much it costs?' he said. 'It’s showing 1200 and it looks in good condition' I said while showing the different pictures of bicycle. 'Yes, I will note down the owner’s number' he said. I opened another page and it was showing bikes of higher prices. 'What is this sir, can you open this?' he said while pointing out to a bike of price 30K.'It runs through battery, It is too big, not for a kid of 4 year' I said. 'Yes, I am wondering why even kids need these kinds of bikes, which cost 30K' he said. 'Can you open the another site sir, Quikr ?' he said. I opened Quikr and did not find any good match, what he was looking for. 'Sir what is this, is this footwear, some special kind of footwear' he said while pointing out to one picture in Quikr. 'Yes, it’s footwear, it says kids branded footwear' I said. 'Hey, I think we should try for a new one, there are some online sites, where you can get kids bicycle' I said. I opened Snapdeal and it was showing Rs 2500 for a 4 years kid bicycle. 'Leave it sir, my kid is growing very fast...I don’t know how long he will use this bicycle, what is the use of buying this new bicycle' he said. 'Yes, you are right, maybe we should search more in OLX?' I said. 'You are getting late sir...I have noted down 1 phone number, I will check with that, otherwise we will check any other time...there is no hurry, my kid is not growing that much fast, he can wait for bicycle' he said with smile. 'OK, time to leave now...happy New Year' I said. 'Happy New Year sir' he said.

I was passing through office corridor and was laughing at the joke of social inequality, where someone is selling his kid’s used branded footwear and someone can wait for his kid’s New Year gift. 

autowallah, the dreamer...

‘Jam at this traffic light at this time is quite unusual’ autowallah said. ‘PK has released today, shows are running houseful ...I think this jam is due to PK release’ I said. ‘PK...how is the movie brother ?’ autowallah asked. ‘It’s Amir Khan movie, it should be good...reviews are also good’ I said. ‘Hmm...I will download the movie on Sunday, I don’t have this much of time to see the movie in theater’ autowallah said. ‘Download, how...you know download sites ?’ I said. ‘Yes, I have this big phone, I download movies on phone’ autowallah said while showing his big screen phone with smile. ‘Movie files are too big...one file will be around 750 MB’ autowallah continued with smile while changing the gear as traffic light turned to green. 

‘Since how many years you have been driving auto?’ I said. ‘It has been around 5 years’ autowallah said. ‘5 years...how old are you?’ I asked with surprise. ‘19’ he smiled. ‘hmm...but how did you manage to drive auto without licence...are you localite...do you know whole Delhi, NCR routes now ? ’I said. ‘No, I am from Kanpur, I started driving there...after getting license I bought this auto...I know all routes within Noida, I have no idea of Delhi routes’ he said. ‘Good...what about your education?’ I said. ‘I left school after 10^th’ he said. ‘Why...due to any family responsibility? ’ I said. ‘No, just like that...I did not find any interest in books’ he said with a smile. ‘Hmm, that’s not good...like you said there is no family responsibility, at least you should have continued till 12^th’ I said. He smiled in reply. ‘How much you manage to earn?’ I said. ‘It depends, but roughly it’s around 10K’ he said. ‘Any plan for buying more autos in future’ I said. ‘No, I have some different plans’ he said with smile. ‘Ok and what is that?’I said with smile. ‘I will drive heavy vehicle, roadways bus...it’s government service ‘he said.’OK...will you have more comfort in that...what all facilities you will get?’ I said. ‘Yes, first of all it’s government service, it will be 24 hrs service...one has to drive bus in early morning from Kanpur to Delhi and return back to Kanpur till night...next day will be complete rest...during drive bus will stop on fixed restaurants...food will be free for driver’ he said. ‘Hmm...good...so when you are planning for that...will there be any exam for that...will you find time to prepare for exam?’ I said. ‘Not now, it needs five years heavy vehicle experience...the test will be a driving test...they will give me 1 bus with loose breaks and clutches and 1 officer will review my drive’ he said. ‘Ok and what if someone fails the test, will he get other chance?’ I said. ‘If someone fails the test, he can apply again...it’s like exam form...one has to fill the form’ he said. ‘Hmm, good...and what about your marriage ‘I said with smile. ‘Marriage... still there are lots of things to do...’ he said with confident smile. ‘Nice, keep your spirit always high...you will definitely do those lots of things’ I said. ‘Thank you brother’ he said with smile. ‘I think, I should get down here... ’ I said. I paid my bill and thanked him. 

I was crossing the road and the dreamer autowallah was smiling while taking the U turn to avoid the jam at next light.

the hope...

Monsoon was giving it's firm presence on the car windows, in the month of July. A long queue of cars was waiting for red light to turn into green. A lady, wearing torn red sari, was waving her one hand slowly outside the car window. The person, sitting inside the boundary of windows, was not showing any emotion. The driver peeped into the front mirror and found the person adjusting his goggles. Hope was pouring from four eyes towards that window. The lady was holding her baby with one hand and was waving the other hand continuously. The light turned on green and it took away the hope from the eyes, which had seen only 20 years. One pair of eyes was looking up into sky and cursing the monsoon and the other pair of eyes, which had not seen even 600 days, was looking towards the other direction where cars were waiting for light to turn green.

The younger pair of eyes, which did not know the meaning of hope, was still having the hope...