The Achieve Together Conference had just ended on Saturday and my team and I left Gurgaon in our colleague’s car to Delhi. We had a train to catch at 4.40 pm and the car was filled with lots of material that was left from the conference. Six of us were crammed in her car along with standees, banners, leftover gifts and pieces of luggage.
It was raining in Gurgaon- Delhi. It was also Raksha Bandhan. This meant that scores of families were on the road to meet relatives to celebrate the festival. I think there is no culture of carrying rain gear in these two cities. Susan and I, true blue Mumbaikars carried our umbrella and raincoat. We also wore our rain shoes.
All of us in the car watched people on the street getting completely drenched and wondered how they managed. At a traffic signal when we halted, our eyes fell on a girl on a bike. She was completely wet and her white thin shirt turned transparent and clung to her. We felt bad about it but quickly forgot when we began moving. A while later, I saw her again and realised, her condition was quite bad and she needed some help. I told Tarang, my team member to stop the car near them so that we could give her a stole. Tarang drove close to them and they stopped too. Before, I could even open my bag, Roxanne, another team mate, took off her favourite stole and handed it to the girl. The girl smiled relieved. The boy was stupefied.
We drove off. No thank you, no conversation. Nothing. Just a silent exchange. Just a gesture of compassion and care. This incident made a deep impression on each one of us- we all spoke about it, hours after it had taken place.
We did not see them again on the road. They had gone.
I kept playing this incident in my mind again and again. I wondered if the stole was big enough to cover her, I kept thinking of her facial expression that conveyed so much gratitude and relief. I remembered how she hugged the boy on the bike in a bid to cover the front of herself. I wondered how she must have narrated this incident to her family. She must have definitely thought we were God sent.
And you know what? That just made us angels even if for just a few seconds!
It was raining in Gurgaon- Delhi. It was also Raksha Bandhan. This meant that scores of families were on the road to meet relatives to celebrate the festival. I think there is no culture of carrying rain gear in these two cities. Susan and I, true blue Mumbaikars carried our umbrella and raincoat. We also wore our rain shoes.
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| Sue all dressed up. With her god child. And an Umbrella. |
We drove off. No thank you, no conversation. Nothing. Just a silent exchange. Just a gesture of compassion and care. This incident made a deep impression on each one of us- we all spoke about it, hours after it had taken place.
We did not see them again on the road. They had gone.
I kept playing this incident in my mind again and again. I wondered if the stole was big enough to cover her, I kept thinking of her facial expression that conveyed so much gratitude and relief. I remembered how she hugged the boy on the bike in a bid to cover the front of herself. I wondered how she must have narrated this incident to her family. She must have definitely thought we were God sent.
And you know what? That just made us angels even if for just a few seconds!
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