The Disappearing Smile

A couple of days back, I went to the capital. Like every capital, there was rush. Lots of noise and you can’t hear yourself. I cannot define that rush. It’s for anything, everything and nothing. You don’t have time to help an aged person climb three steps. You don’t have a minute of time to talk to an old friend of yours whom you crashed into. Just a minute it all takes. If not a minute then a simple smile does the job. One second and seven muscles is all you need.

It was a hot day and I was thirsty. There is a dairy booth where you get milk products. You get Lassi, Flavored milk, toned, high fat and all that stuff. Everything is packed. Take it and run. Many prefer flavored milk because you don’t have to wait long and then you don’t have to stand in one place. Cut it, put a straw and rush. I bet you’ll find one who can win Gold medal in sprinting for India in this crowd. Maybe they get the strength from the flavored milk. I love flavored milk and is much better than to drink some cola or soft drink.

One aged person, probably in late fifties or early sixties, runs that booth. I ask him for one packet. I wait. Busy with other customers, He probably heard me. The pendulum swings very slowly(like the hero and heroin running in slow motion towards each other) when you are thirsty. As if it’s purposely slowed down for this little girl. This, looking like a five year old, girl gently pulls my shirt. One of those beggars dirty… Stinking. Her face subtracted from innocence. I normally close my eyes or go away but not this time. I turn selfish. I want at least one smile in this whole crowd. A genuine smile. I don’t give her money. Instead I handover the flavored milk packet to her. An expressionless face. She takes it and disappears. Smile never gets to a selfish person. I drink one more packet, pay him and back to my search.

Like a normal human being, tension, sadness, failure surround me every now and then. Whatever it is, I try to bring smile on my mom and sisters face(I am still struggling with my Paa). I love to see them smiling. Whats good is, I try to make them smile and they do. A part of my strength fighting with my problems comes from here.

What inspired more to write this was a small chat session with a girl. Actually a married woman.
She Thinks: A married woman smiles less and can’t even practice smiling in front of bathroom mirror if she has forgotten.
I Think: As a mother she should be able to transfer the curve from her face to that of child. And to do that you need to…. 🙂

I don’t want to hurt anyone. I don’t want to prove anything. And whatever I wrote above is not fiction, It’s reality. I am just trying to find smiles… The disappearing smiles in crowds..

If you search for the smiles then…
Till you find them…
Think Nonsense…

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7 Comments

  1. This is well-written.. as we age, the ability to smile slips along with it. The innocence behind a smile is lost, the pleasure derived from it is lost, it begins to be used as a facade.. looking for those smiles in a crowd is pointless.. noone uses them till it serves a purpose.

  2. Gattu.. this one of the most beautiful post written by you! i just can’t live without a smile.. don’t know how can anyone? and to make others smile is at times the most diff task.let alone please anyone!

    i hope you r smiling… 🙂 🙂 🙂

    PS: you came to the capital as in Dilli??? arrey you should have connected na!

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