Want to take a peek into a typical working woman’s life? We wade through day after grinding day like pre-programmed puppets, moving solely by mechanical routine and dictated only by the hands of the nonchalant clock. “Trrrring!” – The alarm rings. Ready, Steady, Go!  Spring up from the bed and get going – cleaning, peeling, cutting, packing…the list goes on. While having lunch, think of what to make for dinner. While on dinner plan for next day’s menu – it’s a never ending cycle. Weekends are a little different – in that it is described by a separate set of work verbals - loading, washing, scrubbing, stocking…

Gone are the good old days of our mothers – leisurely chatting up the neighbour over the wall – exchanging tidbits of gossip accompanied by a sweet dish made in the morning. Time is money now and nobody can afford to waste it. We hardly know our neighbours. A perfunctory Hi and a stiff smile is the max you can hope for when you bump into each other in the lift.

It is in this pace and rush – that sometimes you meet some special people – genuinely warm and earthy- who leave you with a lingering smile on your face and a happy feeling in the heart. This is dedicated to three such people who touched me.

First is our office boy who brings tea to the desk. Daily in the morning and evening – briskly, without fail and on the dot, he would supply his smile; tea additionally - humming “Aaa gaya! Aaa gaya! Chaiwala aa gaya!” under his breath. His enthusiasm was always catching. He knows everyone by their tags and easily switches from Tamil to Hindi to Kannada – asking a “How are you?” there or a “Have this extra strong coffee. Your headache will be gone” here. He proudly recites the list of famous IT companies as his former employers. (“When I was in TCS, I used to work very late. In Wipro the towers are very big…”) A hard worker by day, he used to attend night classes for B.Sc. Determined to make a brighter future for himself and his family. That he used to “borrow” small amounts of money to pay the examination fees and “forget” to “return it when he gets his salary the next month” was something we all fondly overlooked.

Second is a person to whom I have never spoken but see daily at the traffic signal – our friendly neighbourhood policeman. He stands a class apart from the rest. Dressed in smart, crisp blue uniform and designer shades, (have always seen them only in white and khakhis. So he always leaves me thinking I landed in a different country), he makes it look like the most glamorous job in the world. He sways and swings with a swagger and brings the traffic at the junction to a halt with a flourish of his hand. Watching him, waiting for your turn at the cross-roads, you can almost hear the music. With a stick in one hand and upturned nose, he stands upright like a master of ceremonies dishing out an orchestra. Or maybe like a magician. A friendly nod for the pedestrians, a stern warning for the jaywalkers and a pat on the head for the school children – you can’t miss him and pass him by! Not for him pot-bellies and under-hand bribes. The firmness with he whips out his yellow book would deter any traffic violator. Maybe he is from a different country!

Finally- I have to mention the friendly receptionist at the play center I leave my kids. Not your typical dolled up suave lady with painted face and nails; she is infact a little on wheatish side. But the radiance and energy she has – it is almost like an aura round her! She knows each and every of the 100 odd kids and greets them by name everyday. Always ready to extend a helping hand, always bright and cheerful. I have never seen her grumbling about the long hours or late lunches. Her infectious smile can be felt even on phone. That’s her job. That’s what she is paid to do, you might argue. But nowhere in her task-list contract is mentioned, that she needs to be a stand-by ayah, or to cuddle a little one on her first day away from her mom, or to surprise a bruised child with a choclate out of thin air or to stay back with a kid whose parents come in late to pick them. She easily becomes “my favourite mam” in school.

On days that I feel low, these unconnected people breeze by and bring in a freshness, a nostalgic feeling, a warmth that somehow, in some inexplicable way perks me up – giving me my dose of endomorphins and reminds me – that it is not how loaded your are, how pressurized you are, how much of a thanklessness you feel in your life that matters – it is how you handle it everyday, day after day, that really matters!

Filed under: Slice of Life