TOUCHING HEARTS , CHANGING LIVES..!

This incident took place around 8 months ago. I was coming back home from school in a public bus (Thanks to our Modiji for great BRTS bus services , where i feel more comfortable and safer). 

There was a regular rush in the bus... crowd moving in and out . After the bus passed a few stands a group consisting of young boys and a girl entered into the bus. There were around 6-8 friends all  probably in their late teens to early twenties. They seemed like any other group of friends enjoying an outing. They were talking TOO loudly. laughing TOO loudly and looking too much happy!! i didn't want to be rude by staring at them but there was something in that group of friends that held my gaze. So i just stared at them because they were unaware of it. They were unaware of everything around them. They did not notice that people around in the bus were getting irritated by their loud talks and because they were blocking the narrow corridor of the bus. After a few minutes , a seat got vacant and of course there were many people waiting for a chance to grab that seat. Then a boy from that group came forward , kept his hand on the seat and to every one's surprise , gave that seat to the only girl in his group.There was something different in the way she moved forward towards the seat. My eyes automatically moved towards her legs and my heart almost skipped a beat when i saw that she had only one leg! i looked again in her face , her smiling face and twinkling eyes. Next thing that happened will remain in my memories forever. One more seat got vacant and this time again the same guy grabbed it and gave it to another of his friend this time i noticed his friend more carefully and i saw that he was half BLIND! Now i saw his behavior and the behavior of  each and every friend in this group. Slowly yet suddenly it came. i realized the reason behind their strange behavior and their over happiness.

 THEY ALL WERE MENTALLY CHALLENGED KIDS.

I don't want to use this word mentally retarded but that's how the society refer to it.  It still surprises me that i took more than 15 minutes to realize this!! What surprised  me even more was the reaction of the so called "normal" public in the bus. They stared as if some crime had been committed. They were talking too loudly because they were probably excited and certainly proud of themselves that they traveled alone. The 'leader' in the group was  the same guy who gave the two seats to his friends. He was no different from the rest of them, he was the eldest among them. They way he look after his fellow friends and cared for them it just left me mesmerized...
Now i knew their destination. They were going back to their common place , their 'home' "Blind People'S Association" (Andh Jan Mandal) Its an association for blind , mentally and physically challenged people. there they live together , in their own world love each other and care for each other... The epitome of their feelings was in front of my eyes! 

Then their home came. a station name Andh Jan Mandal. They all made a queue , held their hands making a chain . The "leader" counted them. It took him 3 attempts to complete his counting successfully . Then they moved forward towards the exit door of bus. suddenly the unthinkable happened , and maybe one of their nightmares. The last person in the queue , the half blind one , some how got isolated from his friends. He literally started crying with fear in his eyes. Others in the group also knew that something happened and the smile on their faces and twinkle n their eyes vanished! The "leader" after making sure that the others were safely out of the bus turned to enter  again and at the same time automatic door closed. Then someone among us shouted to the driver , the door opened again and the boy got reunited with his FAMILY... i gave him a smile not a sympathetic one , an encouraging one. i don't know whether he saw my smile or not.... 
But that incident was surely enough to change my perception towards life!!
A BIG SALUTE TO THEM..!

Punya At Your Doorstep!!

This is my very first post and i wanted it to be this. as my blog name goes -- JEENA ISI KA NAAM HAI. Here is something that i witness everyday and almost everyday it leaves ME into a deep thought!

At the place where i live , just next to my flat there are crossroads and every morning i love sitting near the window and stare out with a cup of tea. Busy people running, children waiting for their school bus, daily morning Crowd near the "chai wala". One thing that catches my attention is this--

GAIWALA!!

Yes the gai wala or gwala. Or yes as we say these days , milkman. So the milkman , every morning with his cows and calves stand there near the big ground. With him he bring his "Chara" or the cow's food. Now once i saw people making a crowd there. On taking a closer look i realized what exactly was happening. The great wise people visit the cows every morning , in their big cars , purchase the "chara" from the milkman and feed the cows. Why ? to earn PUNYA!! few big people dont even care to get down from the big car. They just roll down their window and give some money to the milkman. i wonder sometimes how is it different from giving money to a beggar?? The milkman himself feed the cow on their behalf and yet the PUNYA goes to the big wise people!!
The striking thing is that -- Cow belongs to the milkman , the chara belongs to the milknman , money is earned by the milkman , the chara goes into the milkman's cow's stomach which is fed by the milkman himself!! And yet , its we who earn the PUNYA!! 
That's why i like to call it -- Punya At Your Doorstep!!

In the end , just one thing.. as it goes -- JEENA ISI KA NAAM HAI