The Joy of Small Things

The Joy of Small Things...

I love traveling by the public transport, especially by bus. I used to travel for a little more than an hour everyday, on my way to college and back, while I was doing my engineering at Bangalore Institute of Technology. Now, all the thinking I used to do while traveling in the bus daily is something that would probably provide me enough content to write as a regular for months together. So, let me cut it short and come back to one specific incident that I encountered recently while traveling by bus. However, this time around it was in Chennai while I was on my way to office in the morning.

The best thing I like about traveling by the bus is the little time I get for myself to catch up with some reading, most of the times; it is something that I read to keep myself abreast with the current affairs. If I am not in a mood to read any printed medium, then I just decide to do mind reading. Yes, mind reading! I love to look at people, think, and analyze what might be going on in their minds. It is quite an interesting hobby, which I have pursued for more than 10 years now. Now, I have to mention that, luckily, I always end up taking the bus from its starting point, be it when I was at Bangalore or now in Chennai.

The other day, as per my usual routine, I got into a 23C at Besant Nagar Depot and found myself a comfortable window seat in the first row. I always prefer the first seat, because it has a fixed glass window and hence avoids the dust from blowing over my face. I must admit, I have a fetish for cleanliness. As the bus started on its journey towards Mount Road, my mind was deeply occupied in thinking about the book I had just finished reading - Deception Point by Dan Brown. Everyday, as my bus nears IIT Chennai, I make it a point to look out of the window, and wonder with respect, the kind of brilliant engineers this institute produces every year. Immediately after IIT Chennai is the Gandhi Mandapam stop, and as the bus neared this stop, I saw an old man waiting in anticipation for the bus in the bus stop. He was clad in a neat pair of trousers and a white shirt with a bag in his hand (it had to be one from Nalli/Saravana Stores/Kumarans/Pothys). In his case it was Saravana stores, and not to forget the trade mark vermilion on his forehead.

As the bus neared the bus stop, this old man's joy knew no bounds, and the eagerness on his face reflected the long time he had waited for this bus. However, being the typical Chennai Road Transport Corporation driver he was; the bus driver just drove at full-speed, right past the waiting passengers, only to stop a few yards beyond the bus stop. Lucky that he actually stopped, some drivers most of the time forget that there are stops in between the starting point and ending point of their bus routes).

All the while I was keenly watching this old man who was waiting for the bus, and the emotions that I managed to catch on his face in those few seconds is something I cannot explain in words. The excitement on his face seeing the bus nearing the stop changed to that of total disappointment as he thought the bus would not stop and finally, when the bus stopped, he ran towards the bus with all excitement, got into it and made himself comfortable in a seat near the driver. This transition of feelings from excitement to disappointment to absolute joy of finding a seat, all happened in a matter of couple of minutes, and the only thing that crossed my mind at that point of time was - The joy of small things!!

It is a different thing that the old man came back to normalcy after a few minutes, but this thought kept provoking me for long. How many times do we actually think about all the small incidents such as this, which actually gives us absolute happiness? Hardly any. Repeatedly, I am witness to incidents such as this, which only reinforces my belief in the school of thought that I have always believed in, which is- the most joyful things in life are the least expensive ones. How true!