I just had a reality check today. Earlier in the afternoon, during my (almost) daily rounds of different banks, I happened to go to the Oriental bank to deposit some cash. I got the deposit slip and started filling the details with the ease of an expert. I knew the account number by heart and had already separated the notes according to the different denominations. Meanwhile, an elderly gentleman looked at me as I sat there, bent against the table. As soon as I was finished, he requested me to fill his slip as well. I happily obliged. He had put his pass book right in front of me so now I had knowledge of his name, profession and residential address. He was a fitter, working for the State Transport Department. I assumed that he was retired since he looked way past 58 years. On asking him as to how much he would be deposting today, he responded by showing me a crisp Rs. 1000 note. That was my moment of realization. The apparent but often ignored truth about life. Here I was depositing an extra zero to his amount yet I felt it was inadequate, and then there was this fitter who was happy to be depositing the little that he was. Such moments make me wish I had a smaller universe so that I too could be content, knowing that what is available is decent enough and that there is no need to aspire for more. Its always good to don the thinking hat and re-analyze one's situation. Thank you Mr. P. Bhutia for this brief encounter.
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