The Elderly Couple on the Elevator!!

The Smiles from My Shelf [12]

In spite of being a Saturday, it wasn’t easy to find a spot for parking the car around the Government secretariat in the state capital. After going around a few of times, I found some space just opposite to the gate of the building housing the District Treasury. The doors of the elevator were about to close as I was rushing in. A few people were already on the elevator. I squeezed myself to the corner of the elevator near the door next to an elderly couple trying my best not to disturb them. The lady was anxiously searching her bag and was whispering to her husband. He appeared angry and was trying to remain indifferent by uttering to her to let it go. It was apparent that the couple had lost something or forgot to take some document necessary for the day’s transaction. Seeing the indifference of her husband, the elderly lady reluctantly and hesitantly opened up to the rest of us on the elevator as it reached the second floor. She suspected that she left her smartphone in the auto rickshaw. I tried to reassure her and told her not to worry as we can get her phone back in no time. But on reaching for my phone, I realized that I myself had left my phone in the car. However, the other two gentlemen on the elevator were also already acting on helping the couple and collected the phone number from the elderly gentleman. One of them tried to call the number and it kept on ringing but no one was attending the call. We were wondering if the phone kept in the rear seat had fallen off from the vehicle. All of us then went to the respective sections to get our works done, hoping that the call will be returned sometime soon. I had to run back and forth a few times between the car and the 2^nd floor office to fetch the forgotten documents along with my phone. The Good Samaritan continued his efforts to reach the lost phone of the couple from his phone. Then finally, as he was standing beside the cash counter, he received a call from an unknown number. It was from the driver of the auto rickshaw. He had returned to the place where the elderly couple had disembarked, hoping to find them and return the phone. We were all relieved and happy. And as I was sitting in the chair waiting for my turn to go to the counter, the elderly lady was passing by. She stopped on seeing me and said “We got the phone back. The driver brought it back.” And in her tired eyes, there was a smile of gratitude.      

When Sachin Tendulkar got me a job as a Design Engineer, Aero Engines!!

Bangalore; 2001, fag end of an autumn season. I was there for a test, with no high hopes after repeated failures. Hence there was no hesitation to allow myself some TV time with friends on the eve of the test. Indians were on tour to the rainbow nation. At Bloemfontein, India had lost 4 in the first test, to some incisive and hostile mix of fast and swing bowling. I was with my text books, halfheartedly going through the highs and lows of the aircraft engine cycles. The mood was melancholy, in the room of 4 people. I strolled out into the balcony, with a couple of books for company and reluctantly went through the pages, on reheat and regeneration. Rebuilding was on in the Springbok Park. Sachin was taking the lead, as was the norm those days. This time however, he had a rookie who knew no rules for company. Someone who matched him stroke for stroke and left the bowlers wondering whether the same man batted from either end. In the background, within the room behind the balcony, the words of appreciation were giving way to shouts of exhilaration. The temptation to return to room was becoming increasingly irresistible. However, restraining thoughts suddenly leapt to mind. Here is someone, of the same age, shouldering the hopes and aspirations of a nation of a billion people, and almost unfailingly meeting those expectations every time he walks in to the middle. The thoughts spurred me on through the pages and pages of aero engine theory and I had a sound and satisfactory sleep on the night before the test. Next day, as I stood up and received the question paper for the test, there wasn’t one question that I couldn’t answer in detail and depth.

Even the atheists cannot but agree with Matthew Hayden; “I have seen God; He bats at No. 4 for India in Tests.” Sachin had played many a great innings for India: 143 against Australia at Sharjah in 1998, 98 from just 75 balls, against Shoaib Akhtar and co at Centurion during 2003 World Cup, or the path breaking 200 against South Africa at Gwalior in 2010. However, that innings of 155 at Springbok Park, alongside the double century partnership in double quick time with Veeru Sehwag, albeit in a lost cause might be the only one that spurred someone’s benign landing on a career in aero engine design and testing!!

And as he ‘raised his tea time tweet’ to acknowledge the fans on reaching another half century, we sincerely hope that he shall convert it to yet another centum and we shall be around to cheer him for the same.