A train journey

My mom was tensed as usual seeing many guys in my coach. I tried to make my way through the highly crowded compartment when my sister and mom chose to stand outside and spy on my neighbors for the 8 hour journey. After I got to my seat, I got busy settling my things, when suddenly a guy, a smart young man in his mid twenties called me to tell that my sis wants to talk to me. Without giving a proper acknowledge to my messenger, I moved to say b-bye to amma and sis. These days talking to strangers, that too guys, that too in front of amma is a strict no-no to me.
The train started and I maintained my highly made up mature look. This being the first evening train to Bangalore from Palakkad, there were many sleeper ticket travelers and I had to share my berth with another family till Coimbatore. There was no chance of sleeping off as I would have done usually. I finished my dinner and desperately waited for the family to get down in the next station. All of a sudden I heard a hi
It was him again, the same messenger guy. I gave a least interested smile back and started to play around with my mob. He had decided not to stop... The conversation went like this…

He – it’s very boring right?
Me – Yeah!
He – Which berth?
Me – 25
He – going to Bangalore?
Me – Ya
He – Software engineer?
Me – Yeah (A very disappointed one this time) … and you?
He – I’m into yoga. I’m a yoga trainer

Something lit up in me. Wow, I got a chance to get free ka advice that too at a time when I desperately wanted one … I have grown in size sideways, so much that I had to give off all my favorite salwars to my sis since I could not get into any of them. My BMI is in the brim, another half kg would brand me over weight… I have low bp, I’m anemic, and my legs get swollen if I sit for a long time… In short, I have all the ailments and concerns of a woman in her 30s and I’m years behind 30 (***winking***). Conversation continued like this…

He – I was also a software engineer till 3 years back.
Me – Oh I see… Were you into yoga from childhood?
He – Yes, but I never thought of it as a career. Now I’m happy that I chose it. 80% of our customers are software engineers.
Me – Obviously… when you pick a city like Bangalore where 80% of the total population is into IT
He (smiling) – that’s true

We talked for the next 1 hour. There was no telephone number exchange. In fact I don’t even know his name. I asked him many questions; he answered them patiently as he would have done to any of his students. According to him, Yoga is a vast science. There are almost 80,000 to 100,000 asanas and most masters in Yoga will manage to learn only a few 100s. Yoga is about letting yourself free, it is not something that is restricted by do's and don’ts. It should be part of our lifestyle and not for reducing our weight or for toning, although they are guaranteed after-effects of yoga. There is no dieting required for yoga. In fact he says that there is no point in refraining from anything you like in order to maintain your figure. That will cause a disappointment, sometimes that we won’t even notice.

I was relieved. Alas, someone told me that there is no point in dieting :) When the train reached Bangalore, we got up, bid good-bye and All-the-best and moved out in two different directions. I was happy for meeting him, a composed individual whose sole aim in life was not to earn money.

How many times do we pay attention to people around us? How many times we smile at kids playing around? Life today is governed by money, driven by power and guarded by fear.