Suddenly, he looked in my direction and asked, "What about your ticket?"
"Not you, Madam, the girl below your berth.
Hey, come out, where is your ticket?"
Someone was sitting below my berth.
When the collector yelled at her, the girl came out of hiding.
She was thin, dark, scared and looked like she had been crying profusely.
She must have been about 13 or 14 years old.
She was trembling and folded both her hands.
The collector started forcibly pulling her out from the compartment.
Suddenly, I had a strange feeling.
I stood up and called out to the collector.
"Sir, I will pay for her ticket", I said.
Then he looked at me and said,
"Madam,
if you give her ten rupees,
she'll be much happier with that
than with the ticket".
I did not listen to him.
I told the collector to give me a
ticket to the last destination,
Bangalore, so that the girl could
get down wherever she wanted.
Slowly, she started talking. She
told me that her name was Chitra.
She lived in a village near Bidar.
Her father was a coolie and she
had lost her mother at birth.
Her father remarried and had
two sons with her stepmother but
a few months ago, her father died.
Her stepmother started beating
her often and did not give her food.
She did not have anybody to
support her so she left home in
search of something better.
By this time, the train had reached
Bangalore.
I said goodbye to Chitra and got
down from the train.
My driver came and picked up my
bags.
I felt someone watching me.
When I turned back, Chitra was
standing there and looking at me
with sad eyes.
But there was nothing more that I
could do.
I had paid her ticket out of
compassion but I had never
thought that she was going to be
my responsibility!
I told her to get into my car.
My driver looked at the girl
curiously.
I told him to take us to my friend
Ram's place.
Ram ran separate shelter homes
for boys and girls.
We, at the Infosys Foundation,
supported him financially.
I thought Chitra could stay there
for some time and then we could
talk about her future.
Ram suggested that Chitra could
go to a high school nearby.
I said that I would sponsor her
expenses.
I left the shelter knowing that
Chitra had found a home and a
new direction in her life.
I always enquired about Chitra's
well-being over the phone.
She was studying well and her
progress was good.....
I offered to sponsor her college
studies if she wanted to continue
studying.
But she said, "No, Akka,
I have talked to my friends and
made up my mind.
I would do my diploma in computer
science so that I can immediately
get a job after three years".
She wanted to become
economically independent as soon
as possible.
Chitra obtained her diploma and got
a job in a software company as an
assistant testing engineer.
When she got her first salary, she
came to my office with a sari and a
box of sweets.
One day, I got a call from Chitra.
She was very happy. "Akka, my
company is sending me to USA!
I wanted to meet you and take your
blessings but you are not here in
Bangalore.
Years passed.
Occasionally,
I received an e-mail from Chitra.
She was doing very well in her
career.
She was posted across several
cities in USA and was enjoying life.
I silently prayed that she should
always be happy wherever she
was.
Years later,
I was invited to deliver a lecture in
San Francisco for Kannada Koota,
an organisation where families who
speak Kannada meet and organise
events.
The lecture was in a convention
hall of a hotel and I decided to stay
at the same hotel.
After the lecture, I was planning to
leave for the airport.
When I checked out of the hotel
room and went to the reception
counter to pay the bill, the
receptionist said,
"Ma'am, you don't need to pay us
anything.
The lady over there has already
settled your bill.
She must know you pretty well". I
turned around and found Chitra
there.
She was standing with a young
white man and wore a beautiful
sari.
She was looking very pretty with
short hair.
Her dark eyes were beaming with
happiness and pride.
As as she saw me, she gave
me a brilliant smile, hugged me
and touched my feet.
I was overwhelmed with joy and
did not know what to say.
I was very happy to see the way
things had turned out for Chitra.
But I came back to my original
question.
"Chitra, why did you pay my hotel
bill?
That is not right".
Suddenly sobbing,
she hugged me and said, "Because
you paid for my ticket from
Bombay to Bangalore!"
- Excerpted from Mrs Sudha
Murty's 'The Day I Stopped
Drinking Milk'.
My take
Life laughs at you, when you are
unhappy.
Life smiles at you, when you are
happy
But Life salutes you, when you
make others happy.
Tailpiece.
Got up at 6, the chores, changed bed linen and was ready by a quarter to 10.
Washing machinex. Thankfully, the sun was available almost throughout the day. Fixed up with our dentist for an early morning appointment for Lekha.
Rejith comes by teatime to put back the curtains that he'd brought after dry cleaning.
Spoke to Ammu after a long while.
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