Living in the maddening monotony of the sterile concrete metropolitan cities, we think our lives often revolve around us and our first-world problems. Today, our ‘charity’ is limited to leaving a 20% tip on the restaurant bill. We may be humans, but in the chaos of the millennial routine we may have forgotten how it is to be kind, compassionate, and human.
On Wednesday, a woman who goes by the Twitter handle @EmpoweringGoa, was travelling from Churchgate local to Virar, when she met a frail old lady in tattered clothes and an overflowing bag full of clothes.
When she asked the other women to shift a little so as to make space for the old lady, they didn't move. Later, the old lady found space next to this woman because no one wanted to sit next to her.
In a Twitter thread, she narrated the entire incident inside a Mumbai local.
The old lady told the woman that she did not feel bad about the hurtful comments that came from other people because “their comments are limited only to this journey of one hour. Their perception cannot make any difference to my journey of 65 years and to the rest of it.”
The old lady further revealed that she had in fact been a state-level hockey player and a part-time model in her young days. She had also worked in the French Embassy of India as a certified bilingual.
The young woman, who later revealed the old lady’s name to be Ivy, even took a selfie with her before deboarding the train.
Today we lead busy lives - lives that revolve around posting cautiously edited selfies on Instagram and being excited for the Zara clearance sale. But not all of us are privileged and neither does everyone want to adopt to the first-world millennial lifestyle. But what all of us really need a heavy dose of compassion and an immediate attitude makeover.
Be human first, new-age millennial later.
Check out the tweets of the heart-warming story below:
Today, I got in Churchgate local from Virar. This old lady (very thin, wearing messy clothes, carrying unorganised bag full of clothes) got in local when all the seats were occupied. Being very thin, she did not need much space. pic.twitter.com/Tvmn4RpiAk— Never Fear To Speak The Truth (@EmpoweringGoa) July 25, 2018
So she requested all the ladies (who were sitting spreading their legs as much as they can in order to pretend that there is no space even for an ant!) to shift a bit so that she can manage to sit. — Never Fear To Speak The Truth (@EmpoweringGoa) July 25, 2018
The lady was so thin that she needed as much space as a 2-3 yrs old kid would need! But still, ladies were denying to shift as if they have been fixed there with fevicol 😊 I had to make them 'realise' that if they would be kind enough to sit without spreading legs, — Never Fear To Speak The Truth (@EmpoweringGoa) July 25, 2018
this old female would get a seat! After having a few mins of 'unhealthy discussion', they agreed to shift. But gave very disgusting look to the lady. And asked me to let her sit beside me because they did not want to sit next to an untidy person! — Never Fear To Speak The Truth (@EmpoweringGoa) July 25, 2018
I was lucky enough that she chose to sit next to me. I was feeling so sad that she had been judged and ridiculed because of her attire, personality and messy bag. I told her not to feel bad about the hurtful comments she got from those ladies! — Never Fear To Speak The Truth (@EmpoweringGoa) July 25, 2018
The lady just smiled and said "I never feel bad about it. Because their comments are limited only upto this journey of 1 hour. Their perception cant make any difference to my 65 yrs of journey and to the rest of it! It is not their fault that — Never Fear To Speak The Truth (@EmpoweringGoa) July 25, 2018
they dont know that this messy, weak old lady was a state level hockey player when she was young. They dont know that this lady they are denying today to sit next to has worked in French embassy of India as a certified bilangular. — Never Fear To Speak The Truth (@EmpoweringGoa) July 25, 2018
They dont know that the lady they are finding ugly today, was a part time model in her young days! They dont know that the lady they are finding weak, is so strong that even after losing her husband and their only daughter, she moved on in life with joy! — Never Fear To Speak The Truth (@EmpoweringGoa) July 25, 2018
They dont know that the lady they are asking "pehli baar aayi hai kya train me?" is travelling in Mumbai locals since 1940. They dont know that the lady they are advising to sit at home in this age, travels DAILY from Virar to Bandra in "peak" hours to teach unprevileged children — Never Fear To Speak The Truth (@EmpoweringGoa) July 25, 2018
so that they won't become like one of these people when they will grow up!" 😊 such a tight slap to all those who judge a book by its cover 😊 — Never Fear To Speak The Truth (@EmpoweringGoa) July 25, 2018
I could not resist to take a selfie (though its not perfect) with Ivy and post it here along with her thoughts so that we all could learn from her. — Never Fear To Speak The Truth (@EmpoweringGoa) July 25, 2018
Before we parted our ways, she recognised the question in my eyes, and said, "Ivy is one type of a plant. You did not learn it in your school days?" 😇😇😇😇 God make us meet some people for a reason! Courtesy Dipika D Naik — Never Fear To Speak The Truth (@EmpoweringGoa) July 25, 2018