Solapur Station

      I travel home, Kalaburagi, usually by train, Solapur being a main junction stop. Last time when I was travelling, while savouring the ‘train bhel’, trying not to think of the germs on bhaiya’s hands and tokri, I saw something happen that made me happy. 

       A man, in sweater and a white shawl, was sitting on bench on platform eating bananas. After he was done with one, he carelessly threw the peel beside him on the clean platform. As he was about to peel another of that fruit, a young man, rather short and timid, some regular face in the crowd, walked over to the man in shawl. 

I could see the men conversing something, the short person pointing at the thrown peel.

The first man got up from the bench, bent over to lift the peel, walked to the dustbin and threw it in. 

Then, the two men parted ways. 

          It’s rather a very small incident happened on an insignificant Indian railway platform, but, it’s a powerful one; one that shows that change is not just a hope anymore. 

The short man deserves an applause. Not only did he stand for cleanliness, he acted on it. We all ignore the garbage thrown on platforms and tracks thrown every minute we are travelling. How many of us do actually go to them and ask them politely to keep the area clean? I know I haven’t. What this man did was extraordinary. 

        Change is not  exotic that looks attractive and move us to tears. It’s in these small everyday choices that we make to be a better person for the country. It’s non-glamorous and thankless, yet, profoundly inspiring. It’s you, me and all of us. I’m happy that’s it’s finally here...