I am the One

               It is my entry to the contest "Sets You On Fire!". Here i would like to share some moments which happened almost a year back in my life which literally set me on fire, physically and morally. May be to most of you it isn't a big deal but for me it is. If you are a person who believes in principles and morals then you would understand this situation.

               It was getting darker and chilling cold was creeping inside through my sweaters,i ran hurriedly to the bus stop. i have to catch the bus as the frequency of bus service to my place is not that appreciative. Luckily bus got stuck in traffic light, i can see it from the bus stop. Bus halted, i got in, along with other passengers. The bus was unusually empty.i thanked Mr.. God, since one can't possibly experience such a luxury in a city like Delhi. Here serenity and placidity are a luxury. The bus conductor was a guy in his 30s. He seemed to be a multitasking guy, he was giving ticket and at the same time talking to the phone also. i took the ticket and sat by the side seat where i can have the outside view, like you can't have outside view from any other seats. But hey it is in my blood, to me window seat is the best creation ever made by man. Like any other Delhiite i plugged in my earphones and started enjoying the music along with nice side views.  Bus halted in another stop, there was no one in the stop except an old man who was a regular like me in the same bus. He seemed undecided whether to get in or not. At last when the bus started to move he hopped in. He gave the conductor a hundred rupee note and said "ek Dus ka dena"(give me a ticket of Rs.10 ). The conductor winced and he told him to give Rs.10 instead of Rs.100. Old man politely said that he didn't have change. Then suddenly, for my surprise (i don't know about others)he told the old man to get off the bus at the next stop, if he didn't have change. When i heard this my blood boiled, and it should be b’coz i always think of myself as a person who is always ready to help others. i asked him "what are you saying? He is the passenger and you are the conductor. It is your responsibility and job to have change. we can't have change all the time." He gave me a cynical smile and told me that the bus had been empty like this the whole day, with out passengers where did he suppose to get the change and also included that i can help him by giving the change for 100. It cooled me a little bit. At that time the old man was asking fellow passengers for the change,including me. i looked in my purse, and just like everybody else, me too didn't have any change. But i did have a ten rupee note with me. Even though i knew he was regular passenger who travels in this bus daily just like me, i didn't gave him that 10 rupee which i could have. If he was someone who you don't know then its an another matter. While i was thinking to give him that 10 rupee or not he got off at the next bus stop. So much for my ego of "a person who is always ready to help others". That small but fiery incident made me aware of one thing that talking is easy but acting is totally another dimension. You need to be brave and mentally strong. At that fiery moment, like most of the people who were regulars like him, me too thought of giving him the money but i didn't and that is the difference between thinking and doing. This incident put me into a self-check mode, if i couldn't act upon principles that i believe in, what good am i? From that moment onwards, i never let my brain and it's reasoning interrupt my act, from that moment onwards, i always listened my heart.

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