The tea stall happiness…
There is a shop opposite to the ettimadai railway station. A small tea stall where I see this guy, his wife and their daughter selling stuff. The stall sells eatables, cold drinks, snacks like parotta, dosa and more to college students who wait at the station eager to go home from the torturing hostels. Well, this shops also sells cigarettes, the main reason why I go there. And the kind of smoker I am, I frequently visit this shop. It was one such time while I was going home. Train was late and I went to find a smoke..
I see this guy. Maybe in his forties. Tall, slim, dark and always wet with sweat. His hair is almost grey. His shirt always half open, showing off his thin, fragile looking chest - thin probably due to his beedis. He stands there, right beside the hot stove, baking parottas, boiling eggs, making tea. Always doing something or the other. At times when I used to pass by his shop i've seen him sitting on that plastic stool outside his shop, sometimes having his sip of hot tea, sometimes smoking his pack of beedis, sometimes reading his tamil daily or at other times picking them up from where his customers leave 'em. His wife is always at the counter. A short, dark woman with curly hair always tied behind in the tamilian way. She is the one who gives me my pack of cigarettes. She always has change for any amount I give her. A smile always accompanies the change I get. At times when she doesn have a rupee coin for change, she gives me a mint chewing gum. "Vechkko thambi, thevai padum," she says (Keep it, you'll need it). They have a cute little daughter. Maybe seven or eight year old. Am bad at guessing age. She's dark complexioned. I see her wearing a white shirt. Something that looks like a school uniform. I know she goes to school. Last time I went there she came to me and was asking me spellings of English words. CAT, BAT, MAT, DOG, everything that she knows. She's cute. I see her running here and there infrnta the shop, holding her ragged doll in her hand. Sometime playing with that bucket of water kept neat the stall. Some other times looking at pictures in the newspapers and making expressions as if her innocent mind could understand the depths of the outside world. Once she came to me asking me to make her an origami plane with a sheet of paper. I find her very adorable and intelligent.
And while I was waiting there at the stall for my train I saw her holding the TV remote in her hand. She was pressing buttons, changing channels. She knew what buttons changes channels, which buttons increases/decreases volume. She kept flipping through the channels and I kept on looking at her. It looked funny. Suddenly she stopped at one channel. And then I saw her reading something on the screen. I wondered if she was old enough to be able to read anything. And then she shouted 'Basha'. And looked at me. I was amazed. She could read it. Then she went to her dad and told him there was Basha on TV. He came to check. And then he asked her how did she know it was Basha. She showed him the name on the screen. He looked as amazed as I was. He looked at me and smiled. I could feel his happiness. He was proud of his daughter. Not coz it was Basha, but coz she could read. His daughter could read the Gentleman's Language. He went and called his wife from inside the shop. Then he asked his daughter to read the movie name again. "Basha". Same amazed look again. She was smiling with happiness. She looked at me smiling, and said "paththeya? En chellam!" (Did you see that? Thats my darling). It was a happy moment for them and I was a part of it. I could witness it. I felt happy. It is kind of a strange feeling. Witnessing someone's happiness. I myself had a big smile on my face. It was good. And then I saw my train approaching the station.
And if at all there is anyone who is reading this blog and doesn't know what BASHA is, then there is only one thing you can do. GO HANG YOURSELF! Our Thalapathy Rajini Sir always brings smile on people's faces. The example is right here. ;-)
I see this guy. Maybe in his forties. Tall, slim, dark and always wet with sweat. His hair is almost grey. His shirt always half open, showing off his thin, fragile looking chest - thin probably due to his beedis. He stands there, right beside the hot stove, baking parottas, boiling eggs, making tea. Always doing something or the other. At times when I used to pass by his shop i've seen him sitting on that plastic stool outside his shop, sometimes having his sip of hot tea, sometimes smoking his pack of beedis, sometimes reading his tamil daily or at other times picking them up from where his customers leave 'em. His wife is always at the counter. A short, dark woman with curly hair always tied behind in the tamilian way. She is the one who gives me my pack of cigarettes. She always has change for any amount I give her. A smile always accompanies the change I get. At times when she doesn have a rupee coin for change, she gives me a mint chewing gum. "Vechkko thambi, thevai padum," she says (Keep it, you'll need it). They have a cute little daughter. Maybe seven or eight year old. Am bad at guessing age. She's dark complexioned. I see her wearing a white shirt. Something that looks like a school uniform. I know she goes to school. Last time I went there she came to me and was asking me spellings of English words. CAT, BAT, MAT, DOG, everything that she knows. She's cute. I see her running here and there infrnta the shop, holding her ragged doll in her hand. Sometime playing with that bucket of water kept neat the stall. Some other times looking at pictures in the newspapers and making expressions as if her innocent mind could understand the depths of the outside world. Once she came to me asking me to make her an origami plane with a sheet of paper. I find her very adorable and intelligent.
And while I was waiting there at the stall for my train I saw her holding the TV remote in her hand. She was pressing buttons, changing channels. She knew what buttons changes channels, which buttons increases/decreases volume. She kept flipping through the channels and I kept on looking at her. It looked funny. Suddenly she stopped at one channel. And then I saw her reading something on the screen. I wondered if she was old enough to be able to read anything. And then she shouted 'Basha'. And looked at me. I was amazed. She could read it. Then she went to her dad and told him there was Basha on TV. He came to check. And then he asked her how did she know it was Basha. She showed him the name on the screen. He looked as amazed as I was. He looked at me and smiled. I could feel his happiness. He was proud of his daughter. Not coz it was Basha, but coz she could read. His daughter could read the Gentleman's Language. He went and called his wife from inside the shop. Then he asked his daughter to read the movie name again. "Basha". Same amazed look again. She was smiling with happiness. She looked at me smiling, and said "paththeya? En chellam!" (Did you see that? Thats my darling). It was a happy moment for them and I was a part of it. I could witness it. I felt happy. It is kind of a strange feeling. Witnessing someone's happiness. I myself had a big smile on my face. It was good. And then I saw my train approaching the station.
And if at all there is anyone who is reading this blog and doesn't know what BASHA is, then there is only one thing you can do. GO HANG YOURSELF! Our Thalapathy Rajini Sir always brings smile on people's faces. The example is right here. ;-)
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