Monday, September 15, 2008

Unidentified Objects

I was at McDonald's yesterday. And a white man sitting at a nearby table suddenly attracted the attendant's attention. Pointing to a black bag left at an empty table, he said something.

After Saturday's events in Delhi, I froze a little, even though I am sitting safe and sound in far-off Dubai. I was impressed that he was so alert, pointing out an abandoned bag to the staff. I smiled at him.

Only when he looked blankly at me did I realise that he had just been pointing out something that may have been forgotten by its owner. Whereas I sprang to the conclusion that he was being a vigilant civilian pointing out a possible threatening object.

They say we go on. That we are indifferent. That this is oblivion and hard-heartedness. But we change. In small ways. In what we expect. In conclusions we jump to. In judgements we make. And that is the worst change of them all.

What can we do? The media were complaining that people just pick up the pieces and move on. But what would they want us to do? Sit at home? That's not life. So if moving on, if making a few phone calls to check that our loved ones are fine, before going back to our lives means we are immune, then so be it.

Yes, we pick up the pieces. But some pieces are shattered so fine that we never find them in the aftermath of a tragedy. We just rebuild with some chinks and carry on. For some of us the chinks are chunks of emptiness. For the rest of us, they are still chinks, thankfully. And may they remain that way.

7 comments:

SD said...

Wow! I think this is the most beautiful post I have read, past the blasts. So wonderful, and really, we do change, would have never thought along those lines, had I not read this. Real thoughts expressed so beautifully.

dipali said...

So moving, so true.

Anonymous said...

so well written. especially the last para...very moving.
how are you?


'Nandini'

Unknown said...

True ma'am . As always , a summing up done so precisely . But I had a bad scare that evening .

Thinking Cramps said...

Goofy Mumma: Glad I struck a chord.

Aunty G: Well said!

Dipali: Isn't it? I guess it's true for anyone anywhere in the world who has felt this fear.

Anonymous: Hi Nandini - do I know you?

Eve's Lungs: Oh, I am sure you did. But they had that JNU fresher's welcome that day, right? So I guess she idn't venture further than SN!

D said...

Very well written. You're right - we change in such subtle, imperceptible ways that we do not realise ourselves how we've been affected by such incidents as the blasts. It's so sad and so true.

Thinking Cramps said...

Hi D. That's the pity of it. But then that is survival.