Those Familiar Strangers !!!

Flashback ....

I was walking like i usually do,slow paced,shoulders drooped down,in my own world,unaware of-who's around,how's the weather like and where am i keeping my steps{and that's why i usually end up bumping into something or the other on the way and nearly falling.}Just then,i heard a loud whistle,which brought me back to reality !

"Madam,please walk on the footpath."I gave an embarrassed grin to the security guard and he couldn't help smiling too.It was the third or may be the fourth time in the past week that i had been instructed by that gentleman to follow the most basic rule of Infosys Mysore."Do Not Walk On The Grass"-- the sign before me read.{I don't know why i found those signs funny initially when i had just joined Infosys,i mean cmon grass is meant to be walked upon i thought,but after a month these signs somehow started making sense to me.}

After this exchange of smiles i suddenly realised that just like him, there were so many people i met each day,in the food court,on the security counter,on the basketball court,in the multiplex,in the supermarket(Loyal World),in GEC(our training centre) who were strangers to me but still i knew them and they knew me and infact we shared an unknown bond.May it be the lady from housekeeping who didn’t understand English/Hindi and I didn’t, her Kannada and who made me make use of all my “Dumb-Charade” skills and I hers.Or the vendor at Dilli-Durbaar who after 1 month itself made sure not to add sweet chutney in my chaat without me having to tell him.Or the lady guard who accompanied me till my room on the top floor,extreme end whenever I came very late at night from GEC and she found me trembling in the dark outside my hostel.Or the Maini Driver who always gave me an OMG look and enquired whether my luggage was of only 1 person or of 1 family :D !Or the lady who checked our bags and id cards in GEC !Or simply that girl whose dressing i loved.Or that guy whose dimple always appealed to me ;).Or the juice-vendor who always gave coupons instead of change with a usual “sorry”.Or all those people I saw in the food court,stood in the long queues with,sat in the multiplex with,bowled in the bowling arena with,went in the lift with,waited in the parlor with,rushed out in case of “false-fire-alarms” with and much much more.I didn’t know their names,I didn’t know where they came from,I didn’t even hear the voice of many of them.But I can still say I knew them and they touched my life,I liked having them as “partners in smiling.”

14th May ’09 …I had a serious headache and was waiting since 10 mins for the lift.I was frustrated !!!Finally it came and then me and some 3-4 people(some familiar strangers) entered the lift with me.There was silence.One of those guys looked to have descended from the “Sumo-Wrestler” family.The other guy,his friend suddenly said,”Ab dekhna ye lift khud-ba-khud neeeche jaayegi” :D :D :D.I tried controlling but I couldn’t.I let out a small chuckle and then everybody else started laughing too.The lift stopped.With smiles on our faces all of us headed in different directions.They didn’t know me and I didn’t know them,but that moment of laughter did touch our lives even if a little and gave us one moment of connectivity.After all,it is many such moments combined that makes LIFE !