He greeted me with a wide smile as I entered huffing and puffing into the lift. I mumbled “Thank you” looking at him as he halted the lift seeing me and my wife rushing towards it. He was a senior citizen accompanied by his wife. Both were discussing about the movie, I guessed, as the only word I figured out of their Tamil (I don’t know which language it was as for most north Indians, every south Indian language appears the same) conversation was the title of the movie which we were to watch. Coincidently, we seated next to each other and the humble exchange of social smiles happened again during Interval. Mr. Murthy was a retired Judge and has visited the city for some personal reasons. I was amazed to see such a modest personality.
After the movie, I and my wife being deeply engrossed in discussing highs and lows of the English thriller entered the parking, when some familiar voices caught my attention.
“Mr. Murthy, please calm down”, Mrs. Murthy was requesting him as he was making some call. There was some altercation over the car parking and the young man involved in the tussle with Mr. Murthy was throwing indecent remarks over old man’s parking while rest of his gang was making sneering comments over Mr. Murthy’s south Indian ascent.
“How you drive when you can’t even park it properly”, said this young fellow, Aman, who seemed to be a college student.
Uncle, it is better you sit at home and enjoy watching some mythological movie rather than this English movie, said Aman while adjusting his goggles which were fancy. All his friends busted in laughter. Mr. Murthy was giving them some behavioral tips without revealing his identity but they were busy mocking him. Aman was blowing his own trumpet of being son of a renowned man of the city and how he is one hunk of the city being chased by all.
I rushed to the spot and Intervened. I enquired the matter and tried to cool off Aman.
Aman boasted off some closeness with local politician; this is one north Indian way of getting a cut above over the other person. I douched his anger with the same mannerism and soon he calmed down.
Aman left the place with his nasty friends and I expressed my regret over the rising anger and disrespectful behavior of young guys. Mr. Murthy was back to his calmness and he too showed his concern over how a small issue angered the young man to an extent that he became furious like hell. The same old smile was back on Mr. Murthy’s face and he asked me about the movie. We had some gigs and gags before leaving the place.
I was silently driving and thinking over how the pride of being young and fashionable made Aman look artificial and the humility of Mr. Murthy made him real. Humbleness makes a person great and it was hence proved to me.