11-03-24
We attended a wedding last month. All the guest were offered sugarcane juice on entering the hall. The server told us they kept the sugarcane in the freezer and crushed them on demand. This juice is always tasty and refreshing.
I was reminded of our trip to Aurangabad many years ago. It had been the sugarcane season. The farmers sold sugarcane juice to passersby. This was extra income for them. There are countless people who work hard to make ends meet.
I see a lady walking to and from her workplace in the mornings and evenings. We wave to each other. In the evening, I see her carrying a bundle of firewood on her head. Sometimes she is busy talking to her friend. The bundle rests on her head, and she does not even hold it. A fine balancing act. There is a small eatery near the main road. The couple there sells tea, snacks and bananas. Their main customers are construction workers and people walking by.
Every evening, I used to see a man pushing his cycle up the slope of our road. He was slightly lame but had to cycle about six kms to his home. He worked in a nearby poultry farm. We just exchanged smiles whenever we saw each other. There was no time to talk as he had to reach home before dark. I have not seen him for a long time.
Till some years ago a lady come selling vegetables to our place. She walked the whole day selling her ware. She had lost her husband and supported three children. I have not seen her for a long time.
Recently I met a milkman. He has been working hard for a long time. He showed his calloused fingers, the result of milking cows for decades. His children are well educated and doing good in life. But he still sells milk, he does not want to remain idle.
All these people remind me R K Laxman’s ‘The Common Man’.
RK Laxman: Cartoonist behind India’s ‘Common Man’ – BBC News
Mukhamani 
Comments are welcome :)