Le temps

“Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”

     5 am. A cool, breezy November morning. The rain clouds seem to meander as the fresh smell of earth tingles my nasal senses.
     As I enter the bus, the soft Hindu devotional music soothes my spirits. Perhaps a far cry from the metal that had kept me on my toes a week back. The conductor hands out the ticket to me, a warmth in his tone. He enquires about the whereabouts of my trip, hardly probing, plain courtesy. He is dressed in the attire of a pilgrim, preparing for the annual trip to a holy abode like a million others. His hard earned money spent for a couple of minutes at God's residence before he gets pushed away with the crowd.
     Every passenger is greeted with an air of recognition. Most of them are seasoned travelers, repeating the every day grind. He hands back the change as I type this out. Surely, I look out of sorts with my hooded jacket and a baseball cap on my knee (no, not my knee cap).
     Am I from Bangalore? A software engineer? I nod in affirmative. Explaining my exact job role wouldn't matter to him. He might perhaps go and tell his kids that he met a software engineer, a dream he envisions for his children.The bus halts for a ten minute break as I decide to step out for a hot chai. The conductor recognises my skepticism about leaving my belongings in the bus. His look of assurance reminds me of the affinity towards our materialistic wealth. The beverage does me good, it was chillier than expected.   
I note the portrait of Christ hanging in the bus. For the complex turns that we've taken in our progress, this would surely be food for controversy. In a state renown for political instability and communal unrest, it's a suprise how someone missed out on this to celebrate a hartal.
     The journey is about to end, i'm about to be awakened from my trance. These seemingly under-rated moments will linger for a life time. If I had two extra hours every day, I would spend it extravagantly for these moments of perfect solitude, to compensate for the harried life over the other 24 hours in a day. A sweet reminder of the million little pieces our lives have become.

     This post is an entry for the Surf Excel Matic #GetSmart Contest.

Surf Excel Matic is smart enough to get rid of stains while your clothes are inside your washing machine, so you don't have to spend your precious time doing it separately. Let the detergent do the washing, while you spend time with your family!