Humanity for ten rupees

It is often said that the poorest of people have the largest of hearts. Every so often, in my travels, I see something that re-establishes my faith in a humanity that has been tainted by our materialism and mindless wants. Not only does it force me to question myself, it provides a reminder that there is still immense love in this world of madness.

Mid-November, we were to travel from Pune to Kolhapur by bus. The travel was by the expensive 'Shivneri' bus, which, at $12 for a 250 km journey was, to us, perfectly affordable. There was the lower cost option of the regular bright  State Transport buses, nicknamed the 'Laal Dabba' (red box), which charged about $4 for the same journey. 

Turns out, that our bus was cancelled and we faced the prospect of 5 long hours on the 'Laal dabba'. However, that was perhaps the best thing that happened to us. In the midst of the bitching and moaning as we all queued up to re-book, we spotted a really old woman buying a cup of tea from a tea vendor at the bus terminal. 

The woman was dressed in a sari that was well past its prime. The wrinkles on her face and the silver hair made her look a lot older than she possibly was. She had emptied out her coin purse of everything to get that cup of tea, which cost ten rupees. Her luggage consisted of a plastic grocery bad. She was travelling all by herself.

As she savoured her cup of tea while squatting on the sidewalk, three puppies appeared from nowhere and frolicked around her. One by one, she picked each one of them up, played with them, and poured out a bit of tea for them. The puppies obviously loved it, and the yapping and wagging tails were more than adequate evidence. The old woman had a big smile on her face, and the smile grew bigger with each little bark and lick. Little by little, the small cup of tea dwindled....shared equally between her and the puppies. The cup of tea or the love being shared was felt by everyone and there were enough and more smartphones taking pictures. No one, including us, thought of offering her another cup of tea though.

Turns out that the puppies and their mother lived on the bus terminal. The tea seller had made a home for them with his entire stock of bottled water cardboard cases. As he saw that scene unfold, he let the other puppy out, and with the last of the puppies out, the mother made her way out too. 

The tea vendor then proceeded to give her a proper rubdown/clean with a small towel. This was perhaps routine, because the dog stood by quietly while this was being done. The old woman too enjoyed watching that, and played a bit more with the puppies. The vendor then proceeded to pour out some milk for the puppies.

By the time we made up our minds to buy her a cup, she was long gone. Gone to catch a Laal Dabba to her destination. The tea vendor too was back to his stall, selling tea and bottled water, and some sugary tidbits.

Quite often, I have chased the wrong dream, as have we all. But it is things like this that make me question it all. Perhaps that old woman was exactly the answer I had been seeking....of a question that I should have asked a long time ago. A simple question about the real things that matter in life....not just 'things'. Too philosophical for this story though...

However, if you ever find yourself at the Pune Bus Terminal, next to the Railway Station, do spend ten rupees and buy a cup of tea from that stall. Play with the puppies, and feed them some tea. Take some pictures like we all did, and just perhaps, some of the hope and optimism will rub off on you too. A pretty good bargain for ten rupees.