[asejwal]

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

I am sure that the Maruti owner wouldnt have been able to appreciate the bus driver's sense of humour .

I think he must have had so many other things to bother about, at that point of time........

[normally_crazy]

2 more incidents happened that made me smile and feel warm.

Incident 1

Driving towards LBS road from Ghatkopar depot @ 11 am on 28-03-08, I get stuck at the LBS junction signal. My eyes wander here and there.

To my right there is a chawl type building and I look at it with no particular interest. My eyes fall on the first floor window which has a grill - pretty common you would say and I agree - but here there were 2 kids (a 5 year old and approx. 2 year old) sitting in the grill with their legs dangling in the air, looking at the world below that was in a hurry and enjoying the cars and buses passing by excitedly. The 2 year old kid was enjoying that feeling and the 5 year old was playing the protective brother to the hilt. Taking care of his younger brother and making sure he enjoys the feeling.

Made me remember my kiddie days when I used to sit in the grill of my window and watch the world go by, count the cars and try and guess each car.

Incident 2

Driving to work today morning, I pull up at the Deonar signal. Next to me is a Fusion +. As usual my eyes wander and come to rest on the guy in the Fusion. He was drinking water from a bottle (taken from his bag). And half his attention was on whether the signal will turn green while he is drinking water. It didn't and he was relived. So he thought let me check the other stuff in my bag. He removes a tiffin box and checks the content and his face registers shock. Promptly, he puts that box in and removes a second tiffin box and this time his face registers more shock like this .

The signal turns green and I take off. The guy managed to keep the box and drive on. Comes next to me on the next signal as well and is talking animatedly on the phone (to his wife I presumed) and I drove off smiling.

[GTO - Touring]

NC, as they say, the world is only as beautiful as what you make of it. Keep that spirit up!

[1100D]

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

He removes a tiffin box and checks the content and his face registers shock. Promptly, he puts that box in and removes a second tiffin box and this time his face registers more shock like this .

May be he is habitually forgetful and he was double checking whether he was on his way to office or back from it.

[prabuddhadg]

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

Incident 2

......... He removes a tiffin box and checks the content and his face registers shock. Promptly, he puts that box in and removes a second tiffin box and this time his face registers more shock like this .

Outstanding observation NC! I am still in office, tired like hell. I needed just something like this to pep me up. I could actually picture this guy's face.
Thanks for sharing man.

[lambuhere1]

Originally Posted by 1100D

May be he is habitually forgetful and he was double checking whether he was on his way to office or back from it.

Or might be wondering whose the cook today? His wife, w-in-law or some neighbor !!!

[desideep]

A Smile
As a biker when I am on road, I see stuff, I feel the feelings that flow, some are mine and some are of the people around. Frustration, love, hatred, competition, aggressiveness, anger and a lot of other gestures are to be seen. I like it cause when on road I do have the courage to see what is coming and what’s on the other side of the road. Because if I would not have been ready to see so there was no point of me being on the road.

I am not really good at writing, let me put it in this way that I have never written. Tried a few times but always failed at it. Today when I was on my way to get stupid things sorted for myself. Met a bunch of kids who one of us generally meet on our way to places who would try to clean your bike or car or try to sell you a flower or balloons.

How many times do we see then and think how under privileged they have been. How many times do we see them, and think that how privileged we have been. I think there is a difference in both of the sentences here or the questions.

Today even though I had nothing to offer to them like always or nothing did they have that I could have bought. But a stupid act of mine did make them happy and smile and that what made my day and made me smile all day long.

I bought this t shirt that has some white sheep and a black sheep on it. That’s what made them laugh and they touched it again and again. I did not want to refrain them from touching me cause at the end of the day it’s a dumb t shirt which is letting them kids enjoy the moment. To add to it I did a BAA BAA sound and that made them laugh. I was just thinking at that time that is that all that makes some one smile, is that all that would help me contribute to some one’s life. The kids went on with a little touching on the t shirt and asking question why is only one of them black. I did not have a answer but i just made a BAA BAA sound again and it made them happy.

See it’s not them who were happy it’s me as well. I think that we can do small things to make people happy and this would just be another step towards making this world a better place to live in.

Most of us have been real privileged to always see the riches of the life. let’s do everything that is possible to contribute to someone else’s life that may bring richness if not in terms of money then why not just a SMILE.

[amitoj]

Nice thoughts there, deep.

Some days back, i was waiting at a traffic light and noticed that the auto driver next to me had huuuge handlebar moustaches ala veerappan. I waved to him and indicated in sign language that his moustache was topclass. He smiled and i smiled. He was still smiling when i overtook him some time later.

While on the subject of smile, see what this Russian town has done:
Slashdot | Russian Town Puts Giant Smiley On Google Maps

[v1p3r]

I only have one thing to say...

[rex_varghese]

I was on a decent road by the side of my kids’ school. Though sufficiently broad, it gets really jammed in the mornings with vehicles coming from both sides and many of them stopping in the middle of the road, without a second thought, to drop kids or to let somebody to escort the kids in. I'm sitting in the car to go and find a parking, an auto on my side in the opposite direction is waiting for the kids to get down or waiting for somebody to board. He is blocking the opposite lane. Another auto, unable pass the auto waiting, is in front of my car face to face, blocking my way. I wait. No luck. I'm upset. I wait, I honk, no luck. Now, I'm frustrated. My kids are getting late. I, almost furious, was about to down my windows to say something, when the auto person, apparently an old man, looked at me and gave me a great smile. And, I don't know all my anger, frustration, and rage just melted away and unknowingly I returned a smile. Soon, I saw the driver of the auto which was standing in front of my car face to face, with whom I was upset most that morning, gave me a smile, probably seeing my smile. The old man moved ahead, the auto in front of me followed him and moved right, and I got my way. And, I was still smiling and wondering how an innocent smile from that old auto driver changed my morning, for good. Probably, he has seen all these, all through his life and learned the trick to turn things around in a wink!

Regards
Rex

[FlyingSpur]

Quite an interesting episode! Yeah, certain pleasantries really do affect one's mood greatly. If someone being stupid on the road is apologetic about it, or atleast gestures me to WAIT for a few seconds while he finishes up and moves on, it automatically makes me more patient, as compared to someone who just blocks the way and gives dirty looks when I honk.

[hrishig]

Most of us are very much REactive on the road. So if you get smile you give smile. Try to imagine if somebody raises a voice in that situation , then what somebody would have done?

The trick is to bring smile first on your face.

Most of the time the problem is ( in marathi ) Kaltay pan valat nahi.

[null]

Well, I would have no pardon for a auto driver who blocks the road & gives a smile back - esp, on a crowded road. I am referring to the idiot who has come right in front of you & does not understand any lane discipline (which is soo common in our city).

A similar experience of mine (but not with a smile) few years back:
Bad BLR traffic along the Adugodi road near Mico factory, get a chance to move a bit faster, but a govt / police jeep cuts across the lane slightly & makes me go haywire for a moment. I am cursing & thinking of catching up & give him a piece of my anger (dont care if he is a police or his father), but because of traffic inbtwn, had to move on. But, surprisingly, at the next signal (near that graveyard), he is waiting on the left lane & when I pull up next to him, he apologises by saying sorry! and explained that he did that by mistake.

My opinion about him being arrogant, rash, rude.. (etc etc whatever came in my mind then) just vanished at that moment.

It is probably because we have a fixated opinion about a person & when they behave differently/pleasantly, we get pleased. Same with your auto fellow I guess.. Auto drivers are known to be grumpy & a smile from him just made up for all the wrongs

[Nitin]

Wonderful experience,albeit a very rare one!
Reminds me of the auto-driver who used to ferry me back & forth from school. An Anglo-Indian,he was loved by everyone.
I remember this one incident,when we were about 500ft from my school (St. Anthony's boy school).There were so many cars blocking the street,and he didn't have the heart to make us walk to the school.So he got off, and with the ever 'smiling face', went about directing traffic. Every single person around him had a smile on his/her face, and it really made us proud to be regulars in his auto.

So smile.. it never hurts!

[normally_crazy]

Haven't come across any more incidents these days.

Everywhere and in every jam people are busy texting / bbming / talking on their mobile phones :(

We are slowly but surely being alienated by mobile phones.