How often we are thankful when a situation that could have turned for the worst is averted my some miraculous means?
This is one among the many questions I keep asking myself, when I ponder on the situation's I faced. It does happen that we often are too preoccupied with our own caliber and ability that we fail to recognize the work of a higher power. Today I was faced with a potentially embarrassing and scary situation and at the end of the embarrassment I saw the work of a divine power. There is no other way I could have experience this and yes just mere coincidence is not an answer.
I caught the 5 o'clock train from Jalandhar to Delhi. It has become a habit of late to experience travelling, and by experience I mean "travelling without reservation". I haven't yet toed the line of ticketless travel. My journey was an eventful one owing mainly to the presence of 3 juniors of mine who too be quite frank were making me conscious with all the "yes Nishan Sir" and "no Nishan Sir's". The respect here given is not demanded but is merely a matter of peer pressure.
I unlike these there bachaas do not get high in the traditional sense of the word. I merely get high on good chocolate, Pink Floyd's music and on most occasions for the mere fun of it. Yeah I do fake it.
It all started with the first puff, on a train filled with passengers. Wait, let me rephrase that sentence. It all started with the first puff, on a train with uncle and aunt’s, grandma's and grandpa's, cranky kids, toddlers, that annoying little kid, a hot chic, the beggar who hasn’t showered in like forever, the e-u-no(ks)-whos , the pantry guy, the maid , the chachii, the basically the who's who of an Indian multi-faceted race.
The second puff never saw the light of day as the Indian Police wale was quick to arrive at the scene and scare the shit out of this young fallen astray young junior of mine. The cop threatened the kid with Rs 5000/- fine and then Rs 1000/- fine, and gradually kept bringing it down. The point reached when he demanded Rs 300/- and the junior a young engineer or should I say business man in the making told him that he had only Rs 50/- . Hence the bargaining began. Back and forth numbers were exchanged, when finally the cop’s trump card is played. The 6 months imprisonment fine. The cop jumps back to Rs 500/- and the bargaining continues. After much dilly-dallying the cops conscience kicks in and a young sardar decides to step in and end the show. He charges at the cop and discreetly places an Rs 50/- note in his hand. The subsequent statements exchanged were in-coherent, but it ended with the cop not taking the money, talking about a family friend to the sardar and demanding we go to the end of the carriage with the maximum person per meter area and as well as raising his voice making sure all around could see him performing his 'duty'.
Was it God's providence that helped us when we were most likely to be thrown out of the train or at least fined a hefty sum of our highly constrained wallets stash of the getting home cash?
The next half hour of the journey was passed in silence fearful of the cop’s return, when suddenly the ticket checker decides to check our tickets again. On the mere need to show my obedience with the law, I was quick to hand over my ticket to the ticket checker. Who I have to add took some interest in my ticket. After questions that were "Where are u getting in from" to "Have u been standing all this time" to "How many are you?” we were given the last 4 unreserved tickets in a different compartment, while the co-passengers stood with open mouths.
Was it God's providence that helped us when we were most likely to be standing the entire 6 hours of our journey to Delhi in the winter cold?
Thank you God for your providence.
This is one among the many questions I keep asking myself, when I ponder on the situation's I faced. It does happen that we often are too preoccupied with our own caliber and ability that we fail to recognize the work of a higher power. Today I was faced with a potentially embarrassing and scary situation and at the end of the embarrassment I saw the work of a divine power. There is no other way I could have experience this and yes just mere coincidence is not an answer.
I caught the 5 o'clock train from Jalandhar to Delhi. It has become a habit of late to experience travelling, and by experience I mean "travelling without reservation". I haven't yet toed the line of ticketless travel. My journey was an eventful one owing mainly to the presence of 3 juniors of mine who too be quite frank were making me conscious with all the "yes Nishan Sir" and "no Nishan Sir's". The respect here given is not demanded but is merely a matter of peer pressure.
I unlike these there bachaas do not get high in the traditional sense of the word. I merely get high on good chocolate, Pink Floyd's music and on most occasions for the mere fun of it. Yeah I do fake it.
It all started with the first puff, on a train filled with passengers. Wait, let me rephrase that sentence. It all started with the first puff, on a train with uncle and aunt’s, grandma's and grandpa's, cranky kids, toddlers, that annoying little kid, a hot chic, the beggar who hasn’t showered in like forever, the e-u-no(ks)-whos , the pantry guy, the maid , the chachii, the basically the who's who of an Indian multi-faceted race.
The second puff never saw the light of day as the Indian Police wale was quick to arrive at the scene and scare the shit out of this young fallen astray young junior of mine. The cop threatened the kid with Rs 5000/- fine and then Rs 1000/- fine, and gradually kept bringing it down. The point reached when he demanded Rs 300/- and the junior a young engineer or should I say business man in the making told him that he had only Rs 50/- . Hence the bargaining began. Back and forth numbers were exchanged, when finally the cop’s trump card is played. The 6 months imprisonment fine. The cop jumps back to Rs 500/- and the bargaining continues. After much dilly-dallying the cops conscience kicks in and a young sardar decides to step in and end the show. He charges at the cop and discreetly places an Rs 50/- note in his hand. The subsequent statements exchanged were in-coherent, but it ended with the cop not taking the money, talking about a family friend to the sardar and demanding we go to the end of the carriage with the maximum person per meter area and as well as raising his voice making sure all around could see him performing his 'duty'.
Was it God's providence that helped us when we were most likely to be thrown out of the train or at least fined a hefty sum of our highly constrained wallets stash of the getting home cash?
The next half hour of the journey was passed in silence fearful of the cop’s return, when suddenly the ticket checker decides to check our tickets again. On the mere need to show my obedience with the law, I was quick to hand over my ticket to the ticket checker. Who I have to add took some interest in my ticket. After questions that were "Where are u getting in from" to "Have u been standing all this time" to "How many are you?” we were given the last 4 unreserved tickets in a different compartment, while the co-passengers stood with open mouths.
Was it God's providence that helped us when we were most likely to be standing the entire 6 hours of our journey to Delhi in the winter cold?
Thank you God for your providence.
1 comments:
I traveled once ticketless...and that was more than enough to rattle my bones that i vowed never to travel ticketless again....unless i had no other choice! sigh...when shall these juniors learn......oh well...like i always say...somethings you learn the hard way...and somethings you learn the scary way!!
Post a Comment