The fear to become Human

Mumbai, the financial Capital of India, needs no introduction. Many people come here with dreams of prosperity, learning and a desire to live within its richness. Well, for me it was learning. There is one strong pillar that helps Mumbai stay running, the Railways. The Mumbai Suburban Railway (also known as local trains or locals) spans more than 400 kilometres and serves over 7.5 million commuters daily. New to the City, it was a nightmare for me to see people running, catching and jumping to board the train. Also, the exit system sometimes is confusing- to see the upcoming Station-platform is to the left or Right. Over a period of time, I got used to these affairs and became little-bit aware about Mumbai and its travel.

The Suburban railways here are mainly divided into three Divisions-The Western, Central and the Harbour Line. It happened on an occasion that I had to travel from the West-side to the Navi-Mumbai area which comes under the Harbour line. There were no frequent trains which directly connect the Western side to the Navi-Mumbai area. Since I was alone for this travel and going to a new area, I noted down the different times at which the Train arrives at my station(Andheri) and made myself ready. I boarded a train and the comparatively longer travel began. It began raining immediately and in Mumbai we do find such unexpected rains. As compared to the Western side we can find here much greenery.

As the journey went by, a Mother and Child, wet enough, boarded the train. The Mother ,frail and vulnerable, wore a Saree and the Child, weak and short, carrying some food with empty water-bottle. A few moments later they began Begging. Although, in Mumbai it is normal to see some people begging in the trains ,what astonished me is that they were begging for 'water'. Some people said they don’t have any water with them, some told to ask to someone else. Some, even though they had water with them, said ‘NO’. Some began staring at each other and in dilemma whether to help the Child or not. The Child finally approached me. I had some water in my Bottle and gave it to him. I looked at the staring people and didn't know what to do next. But when I looked at the Child's eyes, what a Cheerful face it was... What made the moment meaningful for me was the gesture of the Child of Thanks and Happiness and later of the Mother, with silence and a smile. Later, they immediately got down the next station in a hurry and vanished into thin air.

I believe it was an emotional touch of silence and that satisfaction of helping each other in need is not replaceable. I don’t know what made the people stare and ‘not give water’, maybe the unclean hands or dress or something else. That moment made me realize the essence of being 'Human' which make us different from other animals.

This city offers opportunities to get rich but it also shows the neglect of the poor and vulnerable. We are growing economically in this rat-race journey of our life but the Human within us needs an attention. There will be moments of ‘staring eyes’ and accusations against us which make us fear of repercussions for our actions but we must rise with courage to find joy in selfless giving. Today, at some point we need to take that courage to find that 'Good Human' in us. Let us embrace a supportive and helpful society.

Here , I remember Gandhiji who said:

"Best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others"