WORLD PEACE DAY STORY – The world is celebrating World Peace day today.
As the years roll by more and more reasons emerge to celebrate Peace Day with gusto.
Just like any other festival or rather a breakaway from mundane work, this day is an added reason for a better Cause to engage in some creative pursuit.
Countries have many activities lined up to welcome Peace, bury all differences and aspire hope upon hope Peace shall prevail in every human settlement.
My ride to school this morning was booked through the Ola App, I was intimated that one Umesh would be my driver to my place of work.
At the corner of my mind I had a sleepy thought. Of course I too had some Peace Day activities to engage in with the children.
I had geared up and also gone into collaborations with overseas learning partners. We promised each other that we are in full swing going to exchange our Peace Day work and splash it on every possible social media platform.
Oh! Yes, the sleepy thought? Well, I wished from the gift zone of my mind that i should engage, involve, get to meet someone who can make me feel and demonstrate true Actions towards Peace in his own way, with no backing, no collab, no action plan. An individual whose way of life is towards cultivating Peace in the daily humdrum life because the person believes that Peace is a living, growing organic entity waiting to be dispensed from one human to the other as a matter of his own willingness for the wellness of the masses.
The Ola auto followed the Google map and reached our forest habitat. It was his first time in this area on the forest road, so he was sceptical about his route map but he trusted his instincts and arrived at the pick up point.
Umesh arrived and i stepped in.
What I saw inside his auto was not new to me but something which was on my mind and i was surprised at the serendipitous turn of events.
My thoughts with excitement went reverse and the first thing i asked him about ShivaKumar and to my surprise he replied that he was very keen to meet him and had been scouting around on his trips in Bangalore, if ever he could catch a glimpse of this very popular auto driver.
i was sure that Shivakumar and his grand auto of intellectual set up would never be seen on the roads of Bangalore as Shivakumar, the auto driver journalist, poet, film star, orator had entered the gates of heaven two years back.
When I broke this news to him he was heart broken but i made him stop his vehicle and showed him ShivaKumar’s photo and how he got involved in my work and would be very happy to lend his multifaced auto along with his other journalist talents to add existential and experiential learning for my students.
After ShivaKumar passed away there was all blank chapters, empty pages flipping on the book of road stories for me.
I would very often think if there is no other auto driver in Bangalore who would have a Rider friendly, service oriented set up in his auto?
Like minds meet! Like minds may live in the same city but they could not meet! Yet they religiously engage, empower and behind the scene keep working, even when no one notices them or their work.
Umesh’s auto too had, books, periodicals, children’s magazine, water, tissue, umbrella, first aid, biscuits, he also had few bottles of petrol reserve to handover to fellow drivers, if they needed fuel SOS.
How better way to be at Peace and act in a peaceful way? How better way can an individual in his own capacity offer comfort and calm to a rider?
PEACE ought to be exhibited through the Power of Character in your own humble disposition.
So glad to know Umesh and late Shivakumar offered Peace to their passengers.
A ride to remember through the insane traffic in an auto with facilities for passengers who seldom have a good word to say for Bangalore auto fellows.
We shared a roadside breakfast with lovely filter coffee and some interesting road stories and autorickshaw analogies.
Peaceful and Peace intended, on a usual ride to school..
A day to remember.
©Grace
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