IT IS NOT EVEN 100 DAYS INTO THE NEW YEAR Smile it’s a new day
Today is the 90th day of the year in 2021 and as I walked on the streets of Bangalore city, Three incidents left me disturbed. The first being on a pavement on Kammanahalli road I saw a man passed out, a closer view of the person I found that he was resting in a city who received the first place in the ease of living index under the million-plus population category. The roads of the city were filled with vehicles, as usual, the quiet evening in Kammanahalli where restaurants, local vendors, and commuters continued on their path in the journey of life without glancing at the resting person. The second incident, as I boarded the city Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus, and as I walked to the end of the bus where I found a seat, a man boarded the bus and carried with him a huge cloth bag knotted around his neck, and as he settled down in the bus, I noticed the man without any footwear, at first I thought the man had removed it to set aside the huge cloth bag, as he remained in his seat without budging, Concluded that the man commutes without any footwear. I sat in the bus rather disturbed as to how he commutes on the roads of Bangalore on tar, gravel, mud, waste, and harmful substances which can cause injury. As my stop neared I left my seat walked towards the door of the bus, I had to ask the man where was his footwear? So I approached the man and asked him Where were his shoes? he nodded his head sideways, I asked him the question again, and he nodded his head sideways again. His eyes were moist and tired. The third incident, occurred as I got off the bus and crossed the road. On the pavement were three children and their mother sound asleep on a stone pavement. The vehicles move, commuters travel, there is dust and the air is polluted, here is a family who is resting in the world’s worst traffic-congested city. An Ambulance stops at a Hospital, its beaming lights, Red Blue, Red Blue, Red Blue, in the night sky as birds flying, traffic lights changing, commuters jaywalking, Bangaloreans, people from other cities, States all walk, run, hustle in the city making noise surrounded by concrete buildings, tall trees and wearing a mask. And all these incidents occur and are known to all! Can we contribute? Should we contribute? Object? What we can do is smile! which is contagious! Two-thirds of a second to four seconds to smile! Help turn that frown upside upside down, Ladies & Gentlemen.