Last week when I last stepped out, I met a kind person behind the pharmacist's counter. Away from hospital settings, pharmacies seem to be the most thronged and hard-pressed settings. In a time when it's almost impossible to get two words out that is not met with haste or urgency, the exchange with this person didn't just come as a breath of fresh air but also a surprise. A bit sad that it was surprising but that's not on anyone. Just a sign of the times. Curt to those who shamelessly broke the precautionary rules of his establishment but at the same time kind enough to take the time to discipline those who didn't know any better. It was a long wait: gave me enough time to be observant. Or was it that I was just so overstimulated about leaving the four walls of my home and stepping out that I was almost hoarding on everything the outside world had to offer? Who is to say. As my turn finally came and before I could place my requirements, he smiled and greeted me with big, hearty hello. It's been over a year, I'm sure spotting smiles beneath double-masked faces is almost intrinsic now. Not only did he patiently wrap up my short order carefully with paper and twine but kept a natural flow of conversation going that didn't shy away from the grim reality Be it the supply and demand chain of the industry, the botched proceedings, the ugly politics; he had something to say without overloading with information and allowing room for dialogue. I wonder was it the general lack of conversation and the overcompensation we've all made for it that prompted it or was it that it was nearing closing time that he could afford a word or two. His age shown through in the way he spoke, a mix of exhaustion and experience. It was a wonder to find a spirit so composed when the world around him was collapsing while it was equally concerning the weight of emotions of he must have repressed to be functional just that one day and then every day thereon. He painted the world in the shade of realism that's not new to most of us yet leaving you feel calm in just minutes. But I guess that's also just another sign of the times. Kindness in the most unexpected circumstances. 🤍 (at Kolkata) https://www.instagram.com/p/COD1DytAD85/?igshid=t6tmwvhqrec9








