Incident: Bus ticket paid in full

Good day!
  Awesome day ! Feeling a glad feeling :)
Watching videos, reading stories at Upworthy, Lifevest Inside, SimpleTruths, Kindness week.... some of it actually rubbed in. Didnt have to volunteer, go to an NGO, make a donation.
Only one deed made my day!

Today while waiting for my bus in Thane, saw an old Maharashtrian grandma asking a young man about buses. She sat down on the edge of the foothpath, she seemed tired and had difficulty breathing.

She was dressed in a new yellow nauwari saree (9yards), not pulled up from behind, but draped like a normal saree like both my grandmothers used to. She wore huge sets of red glass bangles with gold ones  in between, a gold multi chain necklace, hair neatly tied in a bun covered by her saree palu which she never let slip down, leather chappals, had a clean bag which she held dearly. She was a widow marking the absence of big bindi on forehead. Her face was calm, kind, wrinkled with age, eyes tired but sharply looking for her bus. I kept observing her for few minutes. Everything about her attire & mannerism said, She was a lady from a well cultured middle class family.

After much convincing myself to go & help her in someway, I asked her where she wanted to go. She said Sion. I asked her where in Sion, she said near Sion depot there is private hospital she has to go for checkup. She was alone. She said her daughter will be coming to Sion to pick her up.

I remembered my granny who used to have difficulty travelling, spending hours at the bus stop trying to find the correct bus and more importantly climbing the High steps among the jostling crowd and then suffering the bumps. If it was a long distance travel avoiding going to the bathroom in fear that the bus will leave without her or not able to identify the bus among others. Both my granny's preferred  travelling by private cars for long journeys or taxi for short distance. But would hesitate as they couldnt afford it themselves & too self respecting to ask for it from us. So my parents and us sisters used to try as much as possible to get their travels comfortable and convenient. I used to pick and drop my maternal granny from my mama's place to ours in Taxi and then go to office. She would bless me everytime & on the way talk about life and many teachings which we still fondly discuss and have turned true in our experience too.

So I decided today I will pay for the bus ride and drop this granny nearest to her hospital. I too had to go to Sion. There are 2 buses from Thane to Sion. One option is AC buses, comfortable and fast but expensive, 1way ticket 70Rs. The other is C42 bumpy, fast and little cheaper Rs.29. The AC bus was coming so asked her if she would like to take it but is costly, she said she takes the red one(C42) and she wouldnt have any money left for the hospital then. Told her Ill take her, dont worry. She said No, No, you go your bus will go. I kept insisting for 2-3times. Then she just smiled and held my hand. I was elated !

While helping her climb into the bus, saw she had kind of braces around her back, shoulder, waist. Another lady helped her get into a seat. I asked her what she was getting treated for. She said she had got a back operation done 1 year ago & had to wear the braces all time to stay upright, only during sleep she could remove it. I paid for her ticket & gave it to her.
The other lady started talking to me, she was new to Mumbai, had just come from Cochin after getting her sister transferred to Cochin from Bangalore after suffering a stroke, was a grandmother to a 10day baby boy who was in ICU for a birth problem and fits. She got down at Chedda nagar, told her your grandson and entire family will be healthy.
In between we asked granny more about herself. Her village is in Satara. She knew my maternal and paternal native places. Her surname is Karat. She has 2 daughters, 3sons and around 6-7 grandkids. Her daughter-in-law was working and son alone with kids, hence she used to travel alone to hospital. Her son-in-law is good, he payed half the amount for her back operation but she feels guilty about staying with her daughter, so she commutes to village after her checkup and then back to Thane before the next checkup which is every 2-3 months. Today her daughter had gone ahead to get an early number in queue, it was 12pm, by 1pm she should be done and they would have lunch which her daughter got, but she didn't like it much coz of the hospital stench. Her brother and his wife stay around her house in her village. The brothers wife accompanies her during travel from Satara to Mumbai. Her sense of direction and geography were superb, knew how to go to Mahim via Dharavi from Sion :0 . The operation has relieved much of her back pain and she can move around, but the pain and difficulty of doing her chores makes her want to ask for death :(.
Motivated her, to thank God for the operation, family to take care of her, facilities, no other health issues except back. Told her about my granny's health issues and travelling difficulties. She smiled and again I could see my granny's face. Every few mins she used to Thank me saying God bless you, only our people help each other. Told her my habit of being escort for my grannies and grandpas, so today you remind me of my granny so I am escorting you.
At Sion, she said her she will go on her own from there, dont get more late because of me, go to your office. Caressed my face with both hands, smiled and waved bye.

My pleasure ! I am kicking myself for not clicking a snap of her.
Hope she feels hale and hearty, has appetite for food, can move around freely, can afford comfortable travelling, good people around to take care of her, medical facilities... Enjoys her life.

Today I am feeling invincible. A small deed of kindness, can benefit both parties and sometimes lot many people.

Yesterday's incident was also something along the lines of Doing something helpful- Incident: Chain snatching.
Here is my Aaji:





















Have a great week ahead.
Try to do 1deed of kindness today, plz !
Bye. Tc.

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