Change to Transform

Travel, which has become an integral part of my life in the recent past, is as interesting as it can be inconvenient too. And no, I don’t mean travelling per se, but the utter disregard that some folk have for fellow passengers!

   

The first time this struck me was years ago when I boarded a night bus not realizing it was a video coach. If you have had the (mis)fortune of travelling by one such overnight bus, dear friend, you would know what I mean. No sooner had everyone settled into their seats (sleeper buses were unheard of those days), and I, who have never fallen under the spirited spell of the bus (being a die-hard fan of train travel), sat back hoping to make the best of the worst eight-hour situation, than one of the bus men switched on the TV nestled in its cabinet in front. OMG, only then it hit me, like a ton of bricks, that I was in a video coach. But of course, nothing could be done other than settle down to a sleepless night. If I thought it was going to be some pleasant movie, I was most maddeningly mistaken. What came on was some sleazy dance sequence made worse by ear shattering, high decibel volume that made me presume all of us were deaf beyond doubt, and mute as well, because no one made a move to object to this crass onslaught on sanity. My blood boiled…how could we all be so insensitive to the fact that children too were forced into this deaf and dumb stupor! I went to the driver’s cabin and told him respectfully to turn off the TV or play something that everyone would enjoy watching. He did inform a man to change the video, but not before I caught their not so surreptitious glances which proclaimed loud and clear, “Madcap Woman This”. But as you can guess, I couldn’t care less as long as the decorum in this public domain was adhered to. What one does behind their closed doors is up to them and their conscience. But every one of us is accountable and responsible for the common good, or so I strongly believe.

 

Fast forward to today, and am travelling in none other than our Make in India pride – the Vande Bharat – executive class. One would have thought that over the years we would have all matured into fine, thinking, citizens. But I was in for a rude shock when the peaceful, quiet ambience of the compartment was shattered the minute a large contingent belonging to some political affiliation marched in. What followed was a display of leadership at its lowest. They began talking loudly as if they were the only ones in the coach, and, as if that wasn’t bad enough, one of them put on some long-drawn-out staccato speech on speaker on his phone with not an iota of thought for his fellow travelers. Drawing one of the friends attention to the fact that his companion’s phone was on speaker (as if he didn’t know already), I managed to salvage the tranquil atmosphere, but again not before I was subject to sharp stares from some of them. A few others did heave a sigh of relief; but I came to learn that when one has to stand up for a cause, one, inadvertently, has to stand up, alone! And l decided that if it has to be me, well, then, so be it. A word of caution: one has to be discerning when choosing one’s battles though.

 

My frequent travels have opened my eyes to our almost total disregard and indifference for the other. Is it plain ignorance, or is it something more sinister – an arrogance? The former can be overcome with gentle guidance, but arrogance needs to be handled with care that works at inner change coupled with a discipline that is non-negotiable. If we don’t stand up to/and be the change, then who will? And if not now, then, when? (ancient Jewish sage Hillel the Elder) Each of us is responsible to be the ‘change’ that begets ‘transformation’!

 

Our childhood rail trips to Madras or Kerala bring back a flood of fond memories. Our co-passengers never made a nuisance of themselves and neither did we. There was a quiet camaraderie that was shared, an unspoken bond of respect for the other. Children prancing about, or being a handful, someone trying to squeeze himself into an already tight four-seater only to be told off, friends having fun – all this a sort of comfort in the chaos – experiences that added to the joys of travelling. There was no arrogance or don’t-care-attitude that deliberately disrespected and disregarded the other.