Bit Nebula

I had noticed it throughout the evening. Little glimpses of it, here and there. It was the 31^st of December, 2014.

The end of a year. The beginning of a new one. A rather significant day, albeit rather arbitrary. But while a large part of the population was out enjoying their day, one set of people wasn't. It was their job to not.

We notice a lot of small things in our lives. Things that we ponder over for a few seconds and then completely forget. There are a lot of these. In their own way, each of them is significant. This reflection makes us who we are. But after those few seconds, we generally discard those thoughts. Never to bring them up again, unless someone else starts the topic. This would have been another one of those days.

I had noticed the security guards at the college campus gate. I had noticed the rickshaw driver that drove us to the mall. I had noticed the security guards at the mall. I had noticed the waiters at the restaurant. I had noticed the cleaner in the mall's toilet.

I was out, eating good food and enjoying the wonderful company of friends. They weren't. But all of these little things would have stayed little things, to be forgotten, discarded, were it not for the last thing that I noticed when I reached my hostel.

I was tired and sleepy. It had been a long, eventful day. Drowsy me returned to the hostel with half closed eyes, ready to reach my bed and drop off into beautiful sleep. But when I reached my hostel, I stopped. And then I grinned.

A large rangoli had been drawn at the entrance. It said:

WELCOME

WISH U

HAPPY NEW YEAR

OBH

I wondered who had drawn it. I looked up at the security guards.

"Mess valon ne," they replied. The mess people.

"Oh," I said. My grin widened. I took out my phone and clicked a picture.

"Achhi hai?", they asked, smiling? Is it good?

"Haan!" I said. Yes!

I was touched.

This post doesn't have a concrete point to make as such. I'm too sleepy for that.

Until now, I had noticed several people who weren't out enjoying with their friends or family. The type of jobs they have requires them to work on New Year's Eve, I had reasoned. But then the people working at the mess hit me with this. They had gone out of their way to make us feel welcome when we reached the hostel on the first day of the new year. I was touched. And then I wondered. Maybe the rest took joy in it too. If not all, at least some. Sacrificing their new year celebration but still making sure we had a great time. Seeing the smile on our faces as we celebrated the coming of a new year and smiling happily in return.

Yes, I had noticed the lives of the guards, drivers, waiters and cleaners, lives different from ours, especially on a day like the 31^st of December. But I had noticed them before. This New Year's Eve, I think I noticed something more.