Cloudy evening...break from busy office hours and a hot cup of lemon tea. Peeking out of the 3rd floor window to an awesome view of the age old port, the historic railway station and the murky old seas...Dare House at Parry's Corner.
Nostalgic memories race by on any cloudy and overcast day (much to my relief)...to all the good times Ive had especially in school(s) (as many as 5 schools in my history)...and what came to mind was the out of the gate conversations we used to hold in great animation and hilarity that even passers by had a giggle or a grump when they passed across us.
Topics galore...from inter/intra school issues to parents / cartoons / cricket / Ads / music / movies...basically everything except studies (though we spoke about our teachers as well). Worst part would always be that I would end up going home late and then the barrage from my folks...same story (report rather) would follow suit the next day when we would meet again.
We hardly do this when we grow up dont we? Some of us join for a puff of smoke or a cup of tea around the corner and catch up on a variety of issues...personal and official. Those days we dint need all those stimulants...
It struck me today after what I saw and also after remembering those good times...with which I will conclude later (for which you will have to read on...)
Coming back to the view from the window...I scan slowly to see the story of the streets and almost everyday is a joy to watch...I just realized that almost all of us have now started staring at screens and have forgotten to look out the window...so today was one of those days where I took my option...
A bunch of boys (7 to 8 of them) outside the parking lot of the Madras High Court, waving their arms and shaking their heads in a very animated way, like a symphony conductor on stage...they were excited about something...reviewing the day perhaps! My eyes stuck to them...dont know why but it brought a smile to my face...and the flashbacks screaming by...
Some was gesturing whether to take the next bus to rush back home, one was pulling them to the tea & biscuit stall, one chiding the other by striking his forehead and pointing to the corner, one waving his hands and gesturing a hug or the entire universe...like a confused hummingbird, my eyes were just capturing each action and reaction...
I kept smiling and this went on till the tea in my hands was warm to gulp down half a cup...till one thing hit my eye...one of the boys had a hearing aid in his right ear...that's when the pattern emerged...they were all using Sign Language to communicate...and it dint bother them at all...it was then I realized that even in silence, there we can have a sound conversation.
To my interpretation...I thought one was gesturing that he should have spoken to that girl in the bus, and the others telling him, you should have tried in school and the next gesturing that nevermind and he would see her tomorrow anyways, and the last one concerned pulls the shirt of our hero and tells him "lets go have tea for now, tomorrow will try again!"
As I said before...it struck me today after what I saw and also after remembering those good times...that even in silence we can have a sound conversation amidst all the rush, chaos and madness. Do we make an attempt...we should! Do we make it happen...we must!
After so may trials and tribulations, we still suffer from communication errors that cost us a lot...seeing this kids drove the message in my head that to be understood, one must be heard out first and clearly responded too...just a sign would do...wouldnt it?
With that 5 minutes of observation and a hot cup of lemon tea down my throat, another lesson learnt with a smile on my face which disappears when the boss then calls...asking for his report and I go back to staring at the world I think it is...
(Photo Source - http://bignews.biz/primages/19/deaf_children_PR.jpg)
Nostalgic memories race by on any cloudy and overcast day (much to my relief)...to all the good times Ive had especially in school(s) (as many as 5 schools in my history)...and what came to mind was the out of the gate conversations we used to hold in great animation and hilarity that even passers by had a giggle or a grump when they passed across us.
Topics galore...from inter/intra school issues to parents / cartoons / cricket / Ads / music / movies...basically everything except studies (though we spoke about our teachers as well). Worst part would always be that I would end up going home late and then the barrage from my folks...same story (report rather) would follow suit the next day when we would meet again.
We hardly do this when we grow up dont we? Some of us join for a puff of smoke or a cup of tea around the corner and catch up on a variety of issues...personal and official. Those days we dint need all those stimulants...
It struck me today after what I saw and also after remembering those good times...with which I will conclude later (for which you will have to read on...)
Coming back to the view from the window...I scan slowly to see the story of the streets and almost everyday is a joy to watch...I just realized that almost all of us have now started staring at screens and have forgotten to look out the window...so today was one of those days where I took my option...
A bunch of boys (7 to 8 of them) outside the parking lot of the Madras High Court, waving their arms and shaking their heads in a very animated way, like a symphony conductor on stage...they were excited about something...reviewing the day perhaps! My eyes stuck to them...dont know why but it brought a smile to my face...and the flashbacks screaming by...
Some was gesturing whether to take the next bus to rush back home, one was pulling them to the tea & biscuit stall, one chiding the other by striking his forehead and pointing to the corner, one waving his hands and gesturing a hug or the entire universe...like a confused hummingbird, my eyes were just capturing each action and reaction...
I kept smiling and this went on till the tea in my hands was warm to gulp down half a cup...till one thing hit my eye...one of the boys had a hearing aid in his right ear...that's when the pattern emerged...they were all using Sign Language to communicate...and it dint bother them at all...it was then I realized that even in silence, there we can have a sound conversation.
To my interpretation...I thought one was gesturing that he should have spoken to that girl in the bus, and the others telling him, you should have tried in school and the next gesturing that nevermind and he would see her tomorrow anyways, and the last one concerned pulls the shirt of our hero and tells him "lets go have tea for now, tomorrow will try again!"
As I said before...it struck me today after what I saw and also after remembering those good times...that even in silence we can have a sound conversation amidst all the rush, chaos and madness. Do we make an attempt...we should! Do we make it happen...we must!
After so may trials and tribulations, we still suffer from communication errors that cost us a lot...seeing this kids drove the message in my head that to be understood, one must be heard out first and clearly responded too...just a sign would do...wouldnt it?
With that 5 minutes of observation and a hot cup of lemon tea down my throat, another lesson learnt with a smile on my face which disappears when the boss then calls...asking for his report and I go back to staring at the world I think it is...
(Photo Source - http://bignews.biz/primages/19/deaf_children_PR.jpg)
2 comments:
I just realized that almost all of us have now started staring at screens and have forgotten to look out the window...
So true!
Btw, this reminds me of Mecca Tea Stall in Bangalore. My friends and I used to hang out there after our evening classes and we used to see a bunch of students from a nearby Institute, who had a similar condition. They were indeed special. In that chaos they played in harmony. Their silent symphony sounded louder than anything to each other. Words felt inferior in their company. And they used signs as their Morse code. Leaving the world around dumbstruck.
Thanks for the dose of nostalgia :)
keep it going;)
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