Today, I was watching a TED talk’s lecture by one Mr.
Michael Norton, the topic was ‘How to buy happiness’. I didn’t feel my experience as something very
special to be shared, but after watching this lecture I thought it may be worth
sharing and motivating for someone.
In the lecture he discussed some results from his study to
see the effect of spending money, on oneself or on others, on the happiness
that people feels. It was something that I felt in an incident, the feeling of
being happy in that case was something different and very fulfilling.
On 26th December 2014, I was waiting for my train,
for New Delhi, at Chandigarh junction. It was 6:30 in the morning, not the
coldest one but was shivering enough to make me sip a cup of tea, at the platform.
I was having the tea in front of the mark for, my reserved, C2 coach. A very
old one came to me and asked me to buy him a cup of tea. I was having only 3
Rs., as change, in my wallet to ask the vendor for a tea costing Rs 7/-. As
change is what everyone looks for, especially at the beginning of the day. So
the vendor refused to give me the tea as I lacked by Rs 4/-.
I just said to the old fellow the same and started sipping
my tea. I looked at him for some time and what I noticed was he tried but couldn’t
ask anyone else for “the cup of tea”. I realized that he may not get it and
would fall sick. I went back to the vendor and asked if he has got the change
now, but it was a negative reply with a suggestion “daan karna hai to khule
paise rkha karo”( meaning that ‘ keep change if you want to donate’). I just
couldn’t see if it was really a donation to arrange a cup of tea to an
elderly and in such a cold weather.
I thought for a while and gave the shop-keeper the three
rupees and asked a favor to give cup of tea (with 4 Rs to be given on next day
as I pass by everyday while going to construction office of railways). He
refused again, and I gave him 500 Rs note to keep rest and give me a slip or
something that I can collect the money later, after staring at me for a while;
at last he gave me “the cup of tea”.
As I gave the tea to the old man, the train arrived at 6:50;
I boarded and, left for Delhi. While in train, an unvoiced thanks from the old
man, was what I felt deep inside me.
So I felt like sharing it. Thank you J
