Traffic Musings
Finally, it was the last working day of the week. I happily leapt up from my place and started home, mentally making plans for the weekend. As soon as I boarded the cab, I took out my mobile to continue the book I was reading. Alas! To my dismay, the battery was very low. I had forgotten to get it charged. Having left with no other option, I kept it aside. As I gazed all around, people were either talking amongst themselves or were busy with their mobile. I wished to reach home soon. However, to my bad luck, we got stuck in heavy traffic. The vehicles ahead moved at snail’s pace. The person near me was deeply engrossed in some game on the mobile. There was no way of initiating a small talk, even if the person was free, for I was very bad at them. Luckily, I had gotten a seat beside the window. I stared out to while away time. People were waiting for the traffic to clear away. Those who were not driving were mostly engrossed in their mobiles.
Before the advent of smartphones and internet, travel was a different experience. From childhood, over the years, I have witnessed and done myself various ‘activities’, during travel. Since, these have become forgotten traits now (myself being no exception) , it becomes apt categorising them as ‘the arts’.
Art Of Conversation:
Earlier people were at ease in initiating conversations. Though I was not adept at striking conversations with strangers, my father was. Whenever we travelled, whatever be the means of transport, he always found a way to start a random conversation. Though not everyone responded positively, it was always worth a try. The conversations were not always interesting, but were definitely worthwhile. The topics ranged from politics to weather, science to cricket, economy and what not. Though not everyone held the same opinion on a given topic, it was fun to even disagree. Sometimes, we came across a person who would never listen but dump his/her views on us. There were people who were very keen on showing off. But in the end, just like the famous saying,
There is always something new to learn and someone new to learn from.
It was not about making friends or building a social circle. For a brief period of time, our paths crossed and we got to be a part of each others story. In certain cases, they stayed as memories.
Art of gazing:
This was something I had always loved since childhood. The window seats were perfect for staring and gazing, and that was how I grew fond of them. There was always a story waiting to be unraveled on the other side. The view from the window changed depending on the terrain of travel. There were scenic, picture perfect places that left us mesmerised. I had wondered about the birds chirping aloud and the cattle grazing peacefully. Sometimes there were children playing on the streets or by the rail tracks who waved at us with a smile so wide. When nothing was interesting enough to look around there was always the option of people watching. No, I do not mean staring at someone to creep them out. When sitting idle at any place, we can see several types of people around. There was always someone very loud, someone who talked endlessly, a child who refused to eat or sleep, a child who responded to our goofy actions. Every individual in the world is unique, but watching people, got me thinking as to how everyone lived in their own small world. Unless related, no two people shared the same world, for we meet different persons and have diverse experience. Sometimes, it was those strangers who made a lasting impact on us.
Art of doing nothing:
A seemingly easy task that is getting difficult by the day. There were times when we felt comfortable, not engaging in anything but to sit idle doing nothing. It gave us much needed alone time amidst a busy schedule. We sat recollecting the past events, and got lost in an oblivion of nostalgia. The thoughts kept jumping across from reminiscing memories, to worrying about future, from planning for the day to imagining alter realities. It helped channelize the various thoughts and calm down the nerves. The prevailing calm helped make decisions quicker, kindled the creativity, sparked new ideas and helped arrive at solution to problems. Unfortunately, we are engaged in our mobiles that we have lost touch with ourselves.
We are living in a world where, “Survival of the fittest” is the key. We tend to make maximum use of the time available and balance productivity and entertainment. However, we are so engrossed in staying connected virtually that we are getting disconnected from our surroundings. We are so involved in engaging ourselves round the clock that we are losing ourselves.
