this morning

Today I have finally got myself to write a blog. So I'll just start right away.

I usually travel by the local train to office. This morning as usual, I got in and found a window seat. I settled myself and started reading my book, when I noticed a young boy around 8-9 years old swinging on the door. This is a very common sight as such, because every time I travel I get to see these young children, maybe orphans, with begging around or performing some complicated twists and turns, or singing a movie song in the worst possible voice ever and then asking for money.

But today it was a little different, this boy was in his own world. He picked up an empty mineral water bottle, got off at a station, filled it with some water and then kept the bottle in, but he would not get in until the train starts. And as the train starts, he would still stay out, walk long as the train moves, then run a little and then finally jump into the train.

I kept watching all this and soon it was time for me to get off. I walked up to the door, and realized I had a few cookies with me for munching during office hours and I felt like giving him some. So I hurriedly took them out and handed it over to him. As he ate the cookies, he made sure that he never looked at me in the eye and I also tried to make him feel comfortable by looking away. The train stopped just before the station waiting for a clearance signal. By then the boy had done with the cookies and still not look at me. After a few seconds, he pulled out 2 packets from his pocket. I was a little curious to what they were and looked harder to find that they were packs of supari. The I saw him tap the supari packet with all the skill of habituated supari eater, neatly open the packet and emptied the entire pack into his mouth.

I was taken back by the fact that a 9 year old boy was eating supari and shocked by the fact that he might be taking it often because of the expertise displayed.

Sooon the train pulled into the station and I got off and went my way.