Do we ever stop and wonder about the vast majority of people whose lives we never get exposed to or people who we just see in tiny hutments or houses while we whiz past in our EMI-ridden cars! More often than not, the answer is no and it probably will be like that for most. It’s not that we do not care or are apathetic to the less fortunate ones, but it’s just that we rarely ever stop and look! Sometimes it’s a fear of walking down that tiny alley lest you get mugged or beaten up. Well, I had that for a while when I first moved to this city. Let me not elaborate on that. :-)
Last weekend, I decided to take a walk down the market area a few blocks behind my house. I had never really gone in for the last two years that I have been here and sure, I even decided if I should carry a wallet or not. A broad road from my house leading to a sewage filled tiny path with so many shops that it would probably put a fancy mall to shame. From pillows to toys to furniture to even flat rentals, the area had it all. Screaming vendors, bargaining housewives, tiny toddlers were running around with no worry in the world and of course cycle-rickshaws pedaling their way through this with the shrill tone of their bell just added to the collage. Sure, it was noisy and chaotic, but everyone there seemed to find a groove in that. They knew this is life and embraced it with open arms.
To be modest, I definitely looked like I didn’t belong there with the way I was attired, but instead of shrugging me away or even swindling me, I was in fact welcomed by the wayside vendors. Maybe the words sound too dramatic and no, they did not roll out a red carpet and have a drum roll, but they sure were polite enough to ask if I wanted something and one guy even asked me for tea. Even Arrow or Levi’s showroom folks do not show that kindness till you have a shopping bag filled with enough to max out your credit. I do not want to be judgmental here but after a few minutes of walking and even haggling over a wooden chair I did not need, the vibe I got was, business is important but so are the people or ‘consumers’ for all you ‘cold-hearted ’ MBAs there.
As I trudged back home, my mind was filled with so many thoughts, it was difficult to be coherent. People in general judge on appearances, accents, dialects, names, religions, house lived in, car driven and the list goes on. We end up making these compartments for people and never let them out because according to us, that is what they are and will remain so forever. I have done that too and now do make a conscious effort to keep it free flowing.
I feel, the higher you go up in life, the further you move away from embracing all. I might be wrong (and I hope I am!), but then as Mark Knopfler sang, ‘And we have just one world, But we live in different ones.’
Krishna Iyer
twitter: @thetantrik
Team iXiGO
twitter: @iXiGOrocks
Last weekend, I decided to take a walk down the market area a few blocks behind my house. I had never really gone in for the last two years that I have been here and sure, I even decided if I should carry a wallet or not. A broad road from my house leading to a sewage filled tiny path with so many shops that it would probably put a fancy mall to shame. From pillows to toys to furniture to even flat rentals, the area had it all. Screaming vendors, bargaining housewives, tiny toddlers were running around with no worry in the world and of course cycle-rickshaws pedaling their way through this with the shrill tone of their bell just added to the collage. Sure, it was noisy and chaotic, but everyone there seemed to find a groove in that. They knew this is life and embraced it with open arms.
To be modest, I definitely looked like I didn’t belong there with the way I was attired, but instead of shrugging me away or even swindling me, I was in fact welcomed by the wayside vendors. Maybe the words sound too dramatic and no, they did not roll out a red carpet and have a drum roll, but they sure were polite enough to ask if I wanted something and one guy even asked me for tea. Even Arrow or Levi’s showroom folks do not show that kindness till you have a shopping bag filled with enough to max out your credit. I do not want to be judgmental here but after a few minutes of walking and even haggling over a wooden chair I did not need, the vibe I got was, business is important but so are the people or ‘consumers’ for all you ‘cold-hearted ’ MBAs there.
As I trudged back home, my mind was filled with so many thoughts, it was difficult to be coherent. People in general judge on appearances, accents, dialects, names, religions, house lived in, car driven and the list goes on. We end up making these compartments for people and never let them out because according to us, that is what they are and will remain so forever. I have done that too and now do make a conscious effort to keep it free flowing.
I feel, the higher you go up in life, the further you move away from embracing all. I might be wrong (and I hope I am!), but then as Mark Knopfler sang, ‘And we have just one world, But we live in different ones.’
Krishna Iyer
twitter: @thetantrik
Team iXiGO
twitter: @iXiGOrocks
Heart warming :) Keep those words flowing with the touch of rhythm, they mesh just right
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