ROAD LESS TAKEN

In a world full of people constantly sacrificing happiness over fulfilling job expectations, accumulating wealth, and living a respectful life that the society demands, finding individuals who embrace an effortless and relaxed way of life has become a rare and remarkable phenomenon. Muthukumar, a ticket distributor for the Tamil Nadu State Transportation Corporation (TNSTC), appears to be in his late forties or early fifties. Clad in a light blue shirt and dark blue pants, he stands about 5 feet 3 inches tall, with light brown skin and a fair complexion. His clean-shaven face, adorned with an ordinary mustache and neatly combed salt-and-pepper hair, radiates warmth. His most striking feature, however, is his ever-present, welcoming smile—a smile that seems to instantly connect him with every passenger who steps onto his bus. I first encountered this incredible personality during a journey from Namakkal to Kollimalai. From the moment he greeted me with a polite nod, I sensed there w...

I waved goodbye to my friend who was travelling to Chennai in Cheran Express, and I was waiting on the floor between Platform 1 and 2 at Coimbatore Railway station, watching the display board before me for the announcement of Platform number of train bound for Kanyakumari.  It was around 11:15 PM, and the weather was a bit cold and pleasant due to the heavy downpour an hour ago. A lady in her fifties with two bags of luggage appeared to be confused and perplexed about something came to me hesitantly and asked if I could help her find out on which platform her train would arrive. Her slang and accent suggested she was a Malayali woman. I immediately asked her for the train number, and she took her mobile out and showed me the seat number and PNR number. There was no detail about the train number. I said, “This is not the train number.” She was staring at me with an innocent and ignorant face and asked in her Malayalam minced Tamil, “What to do?” Pitying her helpless situation, I too...

              My cousin and I were on a trip to Tirunelveli to apply for a passport. It was summer; the scorching heat was quite unbearable. We had to wait until noon to get our work done. Hence, we had to look for a shady place to rest for a while. We seated ourselves on a cement platform, under a Neem tree, in front of a house. Of course, there were so many houses lined up in the area. After a while, a man came in a scooter and alighted to enter into his house. He gave us a sinister look as if we were there to loot his house. He disappeared into his house, locking his gate tightly behind him. I told my cousin that our land has lost its kindness and hospitality towards strangers over the years. We were sharing our nostalgia for the good old days when love-centered human life and money were only part of it.             Suddenly, I heard the gate opening from another house, and a frail old lady c...