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Friday, July 4, 2014

The Other Face of Life

I don’t know the girl. I never encountered her in my old days. The girl must be one of them who are usually lost in the surging crowd as a nonentity. She doesn’t have any possession as such so that she can be identified with any amount of distinction. Amidst so many cross currents of vested interests and unthinkable as well as alluring greed of life the girl is alive holding aloft the torchlight of morality and sensibility. Life is meaningful to him with certain exceptions that contradict the trend of life gripped with absolute consumerism. Abject poverty even never compels her to compromise with the back face of life. Poverty appears before her as a way of bliss with a sterling mark of diviners’ pleasure. So there comes her name in renewal in my mind with a relentless search for the fountain mouth of her spirit and strength that turns her versatile icon of humanity.
      That day was nothing special. It was not anticipated by any means that something extraordinary would take place by any length with a dramatic climax and that would dictate me to go for a redefinition of the philosophy of my life with a great learning. A man can learn up to the last breathe of his life, it is a die-hard truth. But if I am to learn the ultimate education of life from a poorly clad and obviously poverty stricken teenage girl at my mature age that very much reveals the inconsistency and incompleteness of my education.
      I was going to Kolkata boarding a Sealdaha bound train. That was around 11’o clock at noon. The compartment was almost packed with daily commuters and college going students. That girl was seeking financial help only from the college going students. They were also making fun with her. I understood the girl is well acquainted with them and the episode going on is a renewal one. Walking down the memory lane I was also trying to go back my college days. Beyond doubt that was nostalgia.
      By that time a middle aged man was singing old legendary songs with an outstanding melodious tune. There ran almost a strange silence in the compartment. His voice and pleasance of tune was really mind-blowing. Not an exaggeration but fact, the entire compartment was obsessed with his skillful art of singing. Appetite for listening to his songs was running in momentum. My heart was filled with an inexplicable joy. I felt, amidst endless sufferings of life there is still something left what can lead me to a world of unstained joy and happiness. I was lost in peerless pleasure.
      The train was approaching to Bidhannager Station slowly. The man stopped his singing with a fervent appeal that because of occupational hazard he had to quit his job. Now he is undone but to be a train compartment singer in order to maintain his livelihood in a very low profile by accepting financial charity from the train passengers. All most all the passengers came forward to give him financial aid according to their capacity. Up to this nothing was unusual or unnatural with an exception.
      At last the little girl came forward and wanted to help the man with Rs. 3/-. The man at once refused that charity. But the girl was importunate. The man tried to convince her saying,” Our fate is tied with the same rope. It will be gross injustice to accept your charity.” “Look KAKU, I earn Rs. 20/- a day and this comes as a way of help college going DADA-DIDIES. Today I have earned Rs.23/-. Rs3/- is earned in excess today. I don’t want anything in excess over my need. So there comes the question of help. You are to accept it; otherwise I will be guilty to my conscience. I believe in need base earning. Earning over need begets vices and ills in a life. I am completely reluctant to entangle my life with any complexity. Please let me remain stainless.” After a tug of war of logic the man at last accepted her charity.

      I was spell-bound with the placement of her logic. I came to understand how far we are lagging behind subject to the concept of mental peace in a life. Very few of us can draw the boundary of need as need has no limit. This is the basic philosophy to achieve solace and peace in life. We all boast of our education exhibiting our self-complacence off and on. How far that is benumb we hardly go for a litmus test of that. This tiny girl proved us a hierocrat one. She reminded us that the value of our so-called education is of no worth at all because it hardly teaches us to look at the faces of life from different angles where senses of morality and humanity is the only focus point.                     

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