Slumdog!
20 November 2008, on board, KL to Delhi
Like always I entered inside the plane hoping to get a nice companion on the seat nearby. I found my seat number, looked eagerly at the face next to mine, where I discovered a frail looking person seated. I had a cursory look and quickly came to conclusion that tonight was yet another classic sitting next to me. Other minor details were as follows: It looks he has not shaved since quite few days, slightly dark complexion, shabby clothes, he was still unsure of his seat, was holding his passport and boarding pass ready to be shown. In a moment, I realized, I was awful to have concluded so.
A little later, I had to fill up his immigration form, as he has no idea how to read or write. I found that he is a sardar but has got rid of his turban to make himself look more acceptable, he is fromPunjab , is working in some chemical manufacturing company as a labor. Then, I spoke to him for a while and got to know the simple details of his life. He has left his family behind in India. He has something like 4-6 dependents back home.
A serious look at his history and geography revealed that he is a nice, simple, insecure, hard working person struggling to deal with problems in life, very much like myself, minus the feeling of insecurity!
My guess is that insecurity could have been because of the way he looked. His insecurity came to my notice when he showed me all his I-cards and atm card, passports etc., without my asking him to do so.
Today everywhere we go we have to put up a decent appearance, if we want any recognition. That’s what is probably called marketing your self. It is really hard to protect your self without the aura that you have to create around your self. But as a matter of fact, life is all about it. Alright! On second thoughts, I agree that life is not “all” about it, but I am sure it is something, something important. It surely makes life slightly better.
I feel really sick about how ugly I was, to have that feeling of disgust for him. I mean, I could have very well been his daughter! In fact, he is really someone better than those rich idiots who never get tired of pretending what they are not. When I compare them all, this one is the best. Certainly, he is the most real and pure form of human.
Like always I entered inside the plane hoping to get a nice companion on the seat nearby. I found my seat number, looked eagerly at the face next to mine, where I discovered a frail looking person seated. I had a cursory look and quickly came to conclusion that tonight was yet another classic sitting next to me. Other minor details were as follows: It looks he has not shaved since quite few days, slightly dark complexion, shabby clothes, he was still unsure of his seat, was holding his passport and boarding pass ready to be shown. In a moment, I realized, I was awful to have concluded so.
A little later, I had to fill up his immigration form, as he has no idea how to read or write. I found that he is a sardar but has got rid of his turban to make himself look more acceptable, he is from
A serious look at his history and geography revealed that he is a nice, simple, insecure, hard working person struggling to deal with problems in life, very much like myself, minus the feeling of insecurity!
My guess is that insecurity could have been because of the way he looked. His insecurity came to my notice when he showed me all his I-cards and atm card, passports etc., without my asking him to do so.
Today everywhere we go we have to put up a decent appearance, if we want any recognition. That’s what is probably called marketing your self. It is really hard to protect your self without the aura that you have to create around your self. But as a matter of fact, life is all about it. Alright! On second thoughts, I agree that life is not “all” about it, but I am sure it is something, something important. It surely makes life slightly better.
I feel really sick about how ugly I was, to have that feeling of disgust for him. I mean, I could have very well been his daughter! In fact, he is really someone better than those rich idiots who never get tired of pretending what they are not. When I compare them all, this one is the best. Certainly, he is the most real and pure form of human.
Just randomly landed up on your blog and read this entry. You made a mistake that a lot of us make. It is commendable that you realized it and even helped the person (whereas, a lot of us would not bother to think about it even twice). A lot of people get happy if someone just listens to them and you did that. It is very nice of you!
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