Earth angels

A few months back, I was travelling by Delhi metro with two heavy luggages. I would have easily hired a cab or an air conditioned car, and reach my destination with ease without being barbecued by the heat and being stormed in the cheek-by-jowl crowds. But by far the cheapest option to get to Noida from the airport happens to be the Delhi metro which seemed to be the most economically viable option for people like me.

I got down at Rajiv chowk to change lines. Unfortunately, it was four in the evening  and commuter congestion tends to surge during this rush hour. When I stepped out of the train and saw the crowd, I thought whether it was even practical to try to travel with luggages at that time of the day. There were people everywhere, they stepped on my toes and I was frustrated. I wondered why they were all in such a hurry, not even bothering about people around them. It was so packed  I could only move my head and had to move along with the crowd and find a space to keep my head and breathe. The smell was not that pleasant.

 A few grumpy looking ladies gave me that frustrated, mean stares and passing snide remarks as if they were saying,”You have parked your luggage in my place”, or,”Get your friggin suitcase outta my way” and this further soared my accumulated anger. There were a few aggressive lurkheads, pushing violently from the back, shouting and angry about who-knows-what. I tried hard to ignore them. It’s so hard to be nice sometimes. I was having a bad day.

I finally picked myself out of the mass of people, then there was another obstacle I had to tackle. The elevator was not working and I had to pull myself and the luggages up the stairs. So tired, I could barely carry one bag, and I have to stop at each and every step to catch a breath.

Then a man, probably in his mid 50s walked up to me out of nowhere and asked,”Miss, let me help you with your luggage.” At first I was taken aback and hesitated a bit. But the good man insisted even more. He carried both my luggages all the way outside  until I got into a cab. He left in a hurry after that, before I could even thank him.

When I lie in bed that night, I replayed the whole incident over again. What that man did today might not seem like a big thing, he himself might not notice, but for me, the little time he took to help others, that too a complete stranger and the random act of kindness he had shown to people in need, gave me so much hope. I prayed wherever he might be, he would be blessed.

Small, little random acts of kindness, just two minutes of your time you gave for others could mean so much to the other person, and it could ignite a smile on their faces, brighten their day and give them hope. It couldn’t possibly hurt us or won't cost a thing. We could be earth angels.

Moreover, I’m glad there are  sensible people who still cares out here in Delhi.