Yesterday i started off from office a bit early due to the weekend delight and i started a considerably long walk to the Pothys bus stop. After i crossed Joy Alukkas a man suddenly called me near him. He was standing with another man holding him and i found him to be visually challenged. The man appeared to be in his mid 30s. When i went to him, he asked me whether i can lead him to the Doraiswamy subway. I accepted and further inquired about the exact location he wants to go as i was pretty familiar to that region. He said that he wanted to go to Murali Musicals and i told him that i’ll leave him in the shop as i had already been to that place to buy a violin for my sister (now its serving as a sweet home for several grubs in the rack 
).
After we started the walk he asked how long it would take to reach there and i told him that it would take around 15 to 20 mins to reach. We were walking below the bridge and it was uneasy and confusing for me as where to hold him to lead him through the obstacles in the road. He understood that quickly and told me that it would be comfortable for him if i can hold his hand to guide him. I did as he told and we found ourselves comfortable in few secs to walk along. After a couple of mins we were passing along my regular soup shop .I use to have soups there atleast twice in a week as i would feel very hungry walking to the bus stop. The soup-man gestured at me to have a soup as usual and i gestured back that i’ll have another day. After a few strides, i thought we both could have a soup and invited him to have a soup. He kindly accepted and we both went back to the shop and ordered two tomato soups. He asked me about the price of the soup and i requested him that i would pay for him. After a few mins of silence he accepted. He was struggling to have the soup holding the spoon in the wrong way. I turned the spoon in his hand to the right direction and he finished off the cup quickly from then without changing the grip even a little.
He started the chat asking whether we have reached the “aaru maadi saravana” (six stores saravana) and i told him that we have to walk little more to reach there. The road was full of pits with water as it had rained a few hours before. We walked slowly in the road which was heavily crowded as it was a weekend. Lot of buses and vans were passing by and each and every time they passed us he asked me whether a bus is coming in our way. Saravana stores was completely adorned with serial lights and decorative bulbs all over the building as the festive season sales have begun to rise. I told him that we have reached the stores and the building was decorated with flashing lights. After a pause, he opined to me that the whole set up is a total rubbish wasting lot of electrical energy. At that juncture he told me about a survey that took place in France revealing the fact that group of people riding cycles together considerably reduces the percentage of the Carbon-di-oxide in air. He told me that no one would like to ride a cycle here as the people out here consider riding a cycle as a low profile act and would prefer even going in a bus to ride a cycle. I smiled and said that he was absolutely right. He then mentioned about lot of discourtesies people doing to the environment which was very much interesting. I kept hearing to them acknowledging him with ‘ya’s. I was totally surprised to hear the things he said as i had never heard even a thing about them before.
In the meantime we almost came near the shop and we were walking above doraiswamy subway. All through the way he kept asking whether we reached this and we reached that to make sure “his” check points are reached. After reaching the shop i told him that the shop is in the basement and we need to get down few steps. He told that he knows the shop very well and climbed down the steps quickly. The shop man acknowledged him at once and inquired him about his health taking him inside.
Before bidding adieu to him i asked whether he is a musician as he had come to a music shop. He humbly replied – “Yes Sir, i’m a music teacher and i teach violin, keyboard, piano, flute, veena and tabla”!!!
