I was traveling with my wife by Vaigai express from Chennai to Tiruchy. We were going to our native village to have a darshan of our family deity. The train was fully crowded and there were many standees without reservation. When Tambaram arrived, I ordered two cups of coffee from a vendor. When he said I had to pay Rs. 20. I searched for the money but I had only a few 200 rupee notes.
When I asked him whether he had change for Rs.200, he said he would give it on his return. I gave him the money believing that he would give back the balance of Rs.180. Time passed by, but there was no indication of his return. I blamed myself for having ordered coffee without checking whether I had the change.
“Oh my God! How foolish are you? Could you not get the change before handing over the note to him? What’s the use of your age and experience?”, my wife gleefully took the opportunity to snub me.
“We should trust people; poor fellow. My better half was irritated to hear me defending him. “They wait for just such opportunities. If he meets four simpletons like you, it will be enough to earn a day’s living,” grumbled my wife glaring at me. I maintained a stoic silence.
“Anyway, you cannot expect him to be as honest and as principled as you are”, she concluded looking around at the other co-passengers, who were all looking at us. Gradually, I let go of the slender hope of getting back the change.
My wife believed that I got cheated by people since I had a naïve faith in mankind. I was quite accustomed to being put down by her and being scolded since I believed that she was not correct in distrusting others. I strongly believed that we should see goodness in others and if anyone lacked it, it is because of the environment and conditions in which they grew up.
I believed that inside every one of us, there was the potential for both good and evil - what we chose depends on the circumstances. Though I had been proved wrong by her on many similar occasions, it did not affect my faith. I believed that dharma or righteousness was upheld in the end.
I let my gaze slide outside to the fleeing fields. By then many of my co-passengers were looking at me and assessing me according to their perception – some were thinking of me as a fool while others were looking at me with sympathy and pity; some were smiling to themselves about the free entertainment they had enjoyed and some were curious to see what would happen next.
By the time the train reached the outskirts of Lalgudi, I heard a voice asking me, “Sir, was it not you who bought two coffees and gave a 200- rupees note?”. Pushing his way through the crowd was a young man who stopped in front of my seat. Suddenly, I felt elated though he did not look like the coffee vendor whom I remembered as being a little old.
“Yes, Son! I did give a 200-rupee note to a coffee vendor. However, I do not remember buying coffee from you,” I said honestly. " Sir! I am just confirming to avoid making a mistake!” " I am the son of the person who gave you the coffee" Saying this, he took out the change of 180 rupees from his pocket and handed it over to me.
“Sir, both my father and myself are working on this train as coffee vendors. He slipped and fell down between the compartments and sprained his ankle. He could not move. He told me over the phone to hand over the balance amount to you saying you might get down at Tiruchy. He gave me your seat and compartment number to locate you."
He even refused to accept the money that I offered to him as a good gesture. I asked him for his father’s phone number and dialed the number. “Your son has just returned the balance amount. I am calling you to express my appreciation. I am very happy that you are instilling in him the values of honesty and integrity”.
This humble coffee vendor’s action proved that righteousness or dharma still flourishes in this World. As I watched the boy move down the compartment, I mentally saluted the coffee vendor! My wife was taken aback seeing the glow of joy on my face. She gave me an apologetic sheepish smile because she knew that the joy was not for the money regained!
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