There I was all by myself on the railway station
returning home after exploring Hampi, the ancient capital of the Vijaynagar
Empire located on the bank of river Tungabhadra.I was to spend an hour at the
railway station and I chose to spend the time doing nothing but observing the
people.You find a variety of people there but my eye caught a foreign traveler
who was curiously watching the fancy weighing machine often found on Indian
railway stations decorated with those flashy lights.I decided to end his anxiety
as he kept staring, searching for clues as if solving some puzzle.After our
first gesture he showed his train ticket and told that he was traveling by this
mode of transportation for the first time in India. He wanted to know the
maximum limit an individual’s luggage can weigh and how can he operate the
machine to weigh his luggage.He was worried that he might be carrying extra
luggage.He was amazed and relieved when I explained him that the mysterious
machine is primarily used to weigh human being and not the luggage they carry
and that there is no limit to the amount of luggage an individual can carry.He
realized that he had lost 5kg when I had him stand on the machine and insert a
coin to weigh him.We had a good laugh and during our conversation I asked him
as to what made him visit Hampi, for he could have visited the Taj Mahal and
other popular places to which he replied saying that the whole idea behind his
trip was to see India through eyes of an Indian.Touring such places with all
the facilities would defeat the purpose and would in fact deprive him of
experiencing the real India.He went on to say that back home he was warned by
his people about the ills of third world country like India.But he argued that
unless people from foreign land set aside their prejudices they would never be
able to appreciate the culture and beauty of other land and that the human
capacity to vary is the most precious asset and the best possible evidence of
man’s greatness.
