POSITIVE (PIPEDREAM) CHANGES

From Sampath’s Desk:

 

POSITIVE (PIPEDREAM) CHANGES

A purely fictional and imaginary account!

 

After a long stay on a holiday in a northern part of our country, I reached the Railway Station to board the train for the return journey to Chennai, my home town. The train departed exactly at the scheduled time and was running to time throughout till its destination. The train was clean, neat, and tidy. There was no hassle or discomfort – no mendicants prostrating before passengers for alms. Breakfast, lunch, and supper from the pantry were all delicious - no extra chilly-powder power, oily and/or stomach bursting substances - and no pungent belching with an aching belly. The yummy food kept me comfortable throughout like the home-cooked stuff and I had a good night's sleep. Coffee and tea were also of good quality – not too watery and too sweet with their aroma and flavour lingering in my mouth for quite a while after consuming. I could stay comfortable and relaxed during the travel, like in a home-away-from-home!

 

The next morning when the train arrived at Chennai Central Railway Station exactly on time, I detrained without any after-effects of the overnight food. Once out of the railway station, I was astonished not to be riled by too many auto-drivers at the same time bickering and wrangling among themselves to take me home. I approached and asked the driver of an auto-rickshaw parked at the designated spot waiting for his turn in a queue whether he could take me home and if so, how much I had to pay expecting that he would make a big row on the auto-fare demanding a ‘big extra’, as has been common in Chennai? But, posting a positive nod with an emphatic verbal ‘yeh’ he quipped, “What for we are here? We are always at your beck and call, rain or shine, day or night? Get seated, Sir.” Saying so, he activated the auto-meter. When I got in, he started the auto. Alighting in front of my house I paid the amount. I was taken aback when the auto-fellow soon returned the balance of ₹25 I had paid to him as ‘tips’. Despite my insisting on him to keep it, he didn’t oblige! Reciprocating my thanks with a smile, he fled away. Frozen as I was in utter disbelief for a moment, I swiftly got back to my senses as if recovered from a hallucination and woke up from a slumber.

 

The next morning I reached the bus-stop to take my usual bus to the office. People were quietly standing in a queue to board the bus instead of crowding near both the footboards. I got into my usual bus. The bus conductor wading through the crowd came to where I was standing and issued the ticket. Much to my surprise, he pushed into my hand the balance of 50 paise. Dumb-stricken I thought I was a lucky person to receive that paltry balance from him. The bus conductor was politely interacting with and helping passengers to get in and alight at their respective destinations by calling out the names of the approaching bus-stops well in advance readying the passengers to alight hassle-free. I could see through the windows that every vehicle was running duly following the lane discipline and all other rules of the road. There was no jay-walking, no zebra-line crossing, no cattle intrusions, no potholes, etc. Roads were smooth with no abandoned road-cuttings anywhere.

 

I observed two co-travelers chatting thus, “Nowadays buses do come on time with increased frequency and stop exactly at the designated spots. There are no power-cuts at all. With only non-emitting vehicles plying as a rule, there is no pollution. Water supply is regular with no incidents of sewage water mixing up with drinking water, no spilling of drainage/sewage water on to roads/streets, no stagnation of water despite heavy rains, no traffic jam/snarls, etc. As no processions/rallies are allowed especially on arterial roads, there is no detouring for motorists entailing longer travel time to reach their destinations."

 

At office, people are punctual in attendance; they give their maximum output; they are time-conscious and sincere up to the hilt. People are civic-sensitive, and no spitting anywhere. Everyone followed all the public health hygiene practices.

After the day’s work I got back home comfortably by bus. After the night dinner when I retired to bed. Squirming on the bed for a while, I recalled the amazing, staggering, and robust changes that had taken place, all for the better. Feeling happy for good things becoming the norm, I slowly slipped into sleep.

 

Suddenly on being disturbed by banging sounds of the bursting crackers, I woke up at 4.00 O'clock the next day that happened to be Deepavali. Then only I realized what all that had appeared to have happened much to my surprise and delight was only a night dream. Yes, I had a pleasant dream with positive plumes. Let us only hope, all those ideal, positive, and holistic aspects of the dream turning a reality sooner than later, one by one in course of time, if not all at the same time, suddenly or overnight.

 

(R.SAMPATH)