The Candy seller

A lesson on how to stay strong and live with dignity.

  It was rush hour in the evening, time for all to return back to their respective homes. Usually during this time in bus travels, its but natural to find people tired, impatient, irritated and annoyed. You step on someone's foot and the person starts vituperating. The passenger doesnt carry change coins and the conductor turns hostile. Some are trying to fix some meeting or yelling at someone else on phone. Then comes in the stentorian voice of itenerant sellers with stuffs like candies, pens, torch etc. Needless to say the jerks bus generates makes passengers fall on each other causing more chaos. :P

  After a lot of rejections I jumped in a bus which had a seat vacant so that I could have a comfortable journey of 10 mins. I grabbed my seat and as usual I saw the same type of passengers as described above. Behind me came a candy seller. He started shouting Mango Candies, Mango Candies. The mere voice annoyed me and I did not even wanted to look at him. Although its understood that selling stuffs is a hell of a task that too when you have to hop from  one bus another just to get 1 rupee candy sold but generally all such sellers I had come across in the past had raucous voice, dull in expressions and sold their stuff perfunctorily or this is what I could deduce. I felt pity thinking about their poor state and efforts they made to earn money to feed their family members or for anything else.

   This candy seller's incessant speech got my attention. I listened to him and then thought to take a look at what he is selling. To my surprise he beguiled me. Although he could not manage to sell any mango candy, his pertinacity amazed me. He had a warm and welcoming smile on his face while shouting to attract buyers. He was boisterous even at the dead hrs of the day and he looked nonchalant. I observed the whole act of his for a while and felt like buying some candies and this was not out of feeling pity for him.

    I arrived at my stop and so got down the bus without buying any candies. The peace on his face was what I kept thinking about. Perhaps he was at ease with the fact that at present he was earning in this manner. Perhaps he took pleasure in the fact that he was doing his best with whatever he has got. Perhaps he was not worried of things like what if he was not able to make a considerable income for the day. Perhaps he knew that if he continued working meticulously, he will reach to whatever his short or long term target be. Then there were other passengers in the bus who I guess would have earned better than him, yet these passenger's disquiet faces made me pity them this time. Perhaps unlike all the other sellers before, I should have bought 1 from this not at all poor candy seller.

Author's Note

Please point out corrections so that I improve. Thanks.

Reviews

[Deepika]

This was an engaging write! These situations we get to see often, be it in trains, buses, markets or even streets. Some are proud about their petty occupations while others are annoyed even with the best pay they deserve. I liked the last para a lot! It has got a moral to be contended with every bit we get and be optimistic towards the future. Keep up :)