All Along The Watchtower

College started. I love it. I love the campus. My campus has a lake! A LAKE! And its so green! UNlike ALL other colleges in Mumbai, let alone engineering ones... well maybe except VJTI and UICT.

But i love it. I like my department. Fun people. Somewhat like my class. Girls are like, normal irritating girls. Few of the guys are ok (Hear that Aman, Ok!).

But I'm really liking it so far. Lab starts next week. So i guess thats when they intend to squeeze the living daylight out of us. You know, take all the joy out of life.

Anyway, a few days before college started, i had to make my pass and stuff. So i was standing in the Q for the counter in Borivili Station. You know, I was alone, so i was being my alone self. Looking around here and there, overhearing amusing conversations, staring at my feet or just letting Coldplay or Norah Jones control all my listening abilities.

I was busy doing all of that, when the counter next to me closed. The huge line which had formed behind it, just vanished into the air in seconds. Another few seconds later, i see this 7-8year old kid, sitting below that counter. And he's all alone. He just quickly comes, sits, looks here and there, and starts amusing himself. Playing with his toes, observing his hands, all amoungst the dirty station floor covered with muck ( it's been raning heavy for the last 2 weeks) , pan masala packets,red pan spits and discarded tickets.

I felt so bad, just seeing him like that. I mean, there is this cute lil 8 yr old kid. He never did anything wrong. It was just in his destiny to be born to some poor lady, who might have just left him somewhere since she might have 3 other mouths to feed.

If he is given the right exposure, he might just grown up to be a great contribution to society. In whichever way. But instead, he just sits on the station floor. Look at all the people around, with the innocence of a child, oblivious to his future. And his future, for all we know, might be in a peadofilic circle, or one of thos huge beggar circle things, and yet another life wasted. Just so easily.

I feel so very lucky at moments like these. When it hits me. That I'm one of those lucky ones who're actually getting their easy life gifted to them in a silver platter. I mean, we still all have our problems, but that's just us being way to selfish.

I come back home, still thinking about the things i saw. I see another kid of my society, of the same age, coming back home after school. Carrying his heavy bag. He'll probably go home, eat a hot meal his mum made, call his friends, play downstairs and then be called back upstairs to listen to his mum whine for him to do his homework. And all he'll want to do is go downstairs and play again. Or watch TV maybe. He wont know the luxury, the care he's in. Neither did I when i was that age.

Just like how neither will that boy in the station know how his life just might have been, if someone cared.

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Now reading : "Unaccustomed Earth" By Jhumpa Lahiri

Now Listening to: "Son of a Preacher Man" By Dusty Springfield

Now feeling : Tired..So very tired.