Not so routine...!

It had been five months since I joined IIT - and to say that my routine had changed, would be an understatement- a new life at hostel - away from home , new friends, new courses... so much so I didn't even have time to reflect on how much my life had changed in the past few months...till now...it was vacation time...a respite from the hectic schedule , and although I had some R.A duties to fulfill, I could easily commute daily to IIT and back home...

It was a long time since I was commuting by a local train in the afternoon....it was not so crowded and there was the usual afternoon crowd - teenage collegians busy listening to their MP3s or FMs, mothers with bawling children, the chiku-wali haggling with some adamant lady, the artificial-jewellery seller with her fancy,shiny, coloured, plastic and metal assortment of ear-rings, bangles, hair-clips etc. ...

It was then that I heard her familiar voice coming from a distance (nothing extraordinary about the voice, so can't even add any adjectives...) - before I saw her making way through the melee - stepping aside tactfully to avoid tripping over the toes of people on the 4th seat(the 4th seat is a classic "second class local compartment seat" - actually the seat is meant for three people but people usually say "jara shift ho jayiye please ..." and manage to balance themselves on the edge of the seat with such grace that is seen only in "2nd class compartments" ... in the "1st class" you will be glared at even if you dare think of asking for a "fourth seat" ... will write all about that sometime later) .
She was the silent and unknown witness of my college "semester exam days" - days when I caught the afternoon train (in fact, the same train by which I was travelling this time...) - tensed, balancing books and bag...trying to mug up last minute "notes and important questions", sms-ing friends about what I had left for "option" and was mostly late for the exam .... she would be there- every paper-every semester -the same train - the same voice -the same person selling "khaman dhokla", chakli, samosa and ladoos in her characteristic voice and tone , her face a web of wrinkles, an old cotton saree draped gracefully around her; with blue slippers to cover her tired feet .... - she didn't (she doesn't in fact) even know me - I had never even bought anything from her. For her, I was just another familiar face - a face which must have faded from her memory by now... over these past 5-6 months ...
But that day after such a long gap, when I saw her again, she reminded me of all things @ VESIT - my friends, my college... I didn't realise that I had been missing those days so much...but more specifically, she reminded me of my life - my routine of four years....(which had changed drastically these past months) and I suddenly felt at peace knowing that, her routine (at least it seemed...) had not changed....her life seemed the same;... it was mid-December - the time when Mumbai was still reeling under the blow of terrorism, a time when the air was rife with rumours of Indo-Pak war, recession, pink-slips and all things dark and depressing....

There was so much "security" in knowing that at least her life, her routine, was unchanged - she was still there; standing solid and strong - still going about her routine; like an anchor - steady amidst all chaos of life...symbolising that the ship is safe and firmly anchored amidst the storm of changing times....

How soothing and refreshing can the mere fact, that someone's routine is unchanged, be!