The signal turned red and I brought my car to a halt, a little worried about reaching the destination on time. The new automated traffic lights counted down the remaining moments of my restless wait. But 115 seconds is a long time; I turned off the ignition. As I looked up, I saw him again. As always, he was carrying his tattered bag in which he totes around the latest bestsellers. The old man must be in his seventies, and his body always seems a little frailer than the last time I saw him, but yet he is always there with his loaded bundle (which apparently always seems to have grown in size since the last time I saw it). He moved slowly to each vehicle, holding the most notable (and currently popular) titles in one hand, while he balanced the bag on the other shoulder. I am sure he isn’t literate, and yet he talks about the books as if he had read them all. You can always tell whether a person is a reader or not by the way he looks at books. Given his experience over time, I am sure he can do it even better. Which is why, I guess, he moved towards our car, when he saw me tilting my head, as I read one of the titles (I know this would have made me anyways too obvious).
He came around to my window and showed me the stack of books he was holding, naming another few that were in the bag. I was a little interested in looking at one of the books, but I knew that would only make him more insistent; and also I couldn’t forget that I was at a traffic signal. I politely told him that I just couldn’t buy a book at that time; promising a purchase some other time. He waited a moment, then smiled and said “koi nahi..”, and then moved on to another vehicle. Those words and the way he said them just stuck in my mind.
Every day, while rushing to our destinations, we make these (seemingly insignificant) halts at the traffic signals. While we impatiently wait for the signal to change, there is a segment of the society that suddenly bustles to action: Beggars, eunuchs, different sellers. You would roll down your window for a few, while for the others you wouldn’t even bother to look in their direction. When you take a particular route every day, you get used to the faces of some of these people, them also becoming a part of that daily travel. On some faces, you see the sincerity and earnestness as they choose to sell things and earn, rather than choosing to beg. And you (at least I do) want to help them continue the same way, boosting their morale (and sales) by making a purchase. And when it comes to insignificant items (at even more insignificant prices) I think we all do buy them.I have been seeing this old man sell books since many years now. On his face I have always seen this earnestness and dignity as he goes about his business. I am not the sort of person who buys books impulsively, I like to take my time and choose the titles I want to read. Also, I think it is hard to buy books at a traffic signal (what with the signal suddenly turning green and the guy behind you honking you to a sudden panic). But yes, one of these days, I do intend to buy a book from this man; to keep the promise that I have made to him today. Also, I think I want to be a part of the little story of his life, which may not be as interesting as one of the bestsellers he carries, but one that I believe would definitely be worth telling.
I turned to my mother and told her the same thing. She said that it was a great thought, and also that the signal had turned green. Like always, it was time to move on.
