I wondered whom would I share it with and I thought, Everyone.

So this is a simple story about the sound of the coins.

Today all students of third year Electronics and Communication Engineering were invited to attend a small meeting at college regarding placements. Well that was informative but terrorizing. They want to prepare us before hand for the coming future and so they were telling us about the various aspects of a job interview and because it was my first check with the reality, I got scared.

After the meeting, I and my friends took an auto to home. I still haven’t completely grasped the local language of this city, which is Tamil  (and the locals mostly don’t know English, so that option is crossed out). But I know 5-10% of the language which includes the sentence that would surely convince the driver to stop by my place. I have made a point of learning the few necessary words which would save me when I am travelling alone. I humbly said,

“Anna kovil kittey stop” (meaning = big brother, stop by the temple)

I came out of the auto and handed him thirty bucks which I had kept ready in my hands. BY MISTAKE, one coin fell down near his leg, while the others landed perfectly on his palm. Innocently, I told him about the coin which fell down thinking he missed to notice it. And he didn’t look down at all. In return, he looked at me. He looked and looked at me and for few seconds didn’t speak a word, when my mind raced to different hilltops of strange possibilities and for a second I thought may be he got paralyzed! I was scared for him! I kept telling him, “anna five rupees” and was pointing my fingers towards his legs, when finally he spoke.

Though I couldn’t make out of all that he said, but I surely marked few keywords.

“COULDN’T YOU GIVE IT PROPERLY IN MY HANDS?

YOU THREW THE MONEY DOWN? DON’T YOU HAVE RESPECT?”

Waao.

Now that was a surprise.

Here I was, worried about him and there he goes, shouting at me for a small mistake. And of course I wouldn’t throw money. My mom and dad earn it with a lot of hard work and I respect it as much as I respect food! I forgot all about Tamil and told him kindly in English,

“it fell down by mistake.”

Of course he wasn’t convinced with the explanation and said few more words in Tamil which I cared less about and then threw those coins in a box. He threw them so hard, that I could hear them make a loud sound.

Coins don’t speak but they spoke to me today. They spoke to me about that man, the driver. They spoke all about him. Of his manners, his behavior, his personality. That sound spoke of his unhappiness and frustration.

I was so polite with him and there he was, shouting at me. I was about to enter into the angry zone too, when I thought that he might have had a bad day and so I let it go.

But I surely made a point to myself, be humble. No matter WHAT EVER is going on inside of you, no matter what others offer you with, be it anger or love, you be Kind in return. Let ANYONE be hard, you be soft. That is what I want for myself.

Walking towards my house, I wondered whom would I share it with and I thought, Everyone.

(WordPress)