What could be a dull mundane routine task is also a learning experience.  I commute for about 70 minutes every morning and evening and on the way, I get to see a lot of interesting people and things (if I am not dozing in my seat).

I get to see and learn about the new generation – the students, the workingwomen, men, the conductor and the driver of the bus and even myself!

I see the attitudes of the present day students.  Now, in the buses here we have the first seat on the left side reserved for the physically handicapped and the second seat for the senior citizens. But what do I see? Most of the times these seats are occupied by young students, girls mostly and some middle aged men who want to pass off as senior citizens due to some gray hair they sport. They don’t even bother to get up till asked!

Right in front of them, stand an old wrinkled woman or a blind person hanging on to the bars in the midst of the heavy rush and nearly loosing their balance due to sudden breaks applied by the driver.  But the youngster and sometimes even the women are immune to this!

In some cases, the senior citizens who are aware that the seat is for them ask out rightly for the seat to be vacated.  But most of the times, they don’t ask for their rights either out of ignorance ( in the case of the women) or timidity.

And still there are some callous youngsters who don’t get up even when asked!  And the conductor bluntly replies when the seniors ask him for help that is not his/her duty to ask people to vacate the seat!

I take it upon myself most of the times to ask those who have occupied the seniors’ or the handicapped peoples’ seats to vacate it.  And they do, most of the times.  And if I am seated and there happens to come another senior citizen and her/his reserved seat is already occupied with other seniors, then I give up my seat. (If I have been lucky enough to get one!).

And it makes me sad that the younger generation of today don’t do that.  When the senior citizens occupy the seats meant for them and more of them come by, these guys think it is all right for them to stand till one senior gets down.  Being young and energetic, surely they can give up their seats for a while? Can stand for a few minutes?  But they don’t.  They sit indifferently.  Either looking out of the window or pretending to be dozing off with earphones plugged in their ears. 

And at times there is a third category other than the senior citizens and the physically disabled.  Women with infants wailing.  Even these women don’t fare any better.  It is the older women who sometimes get up to give their seats. But the young girls hardly bother.

And when day after day, I see these scenes, I think sadly ‘what’s wrong with the generation of today?   Why have they become indifferent? With neither manners nor humanity left.’  Are they so wrapped in themselves that they don’t notice the needy?

I remember when I was in college how we wanted to change the world! Bring a revolution to build a just and egalitarian society! But today’s youth? They are different. Maybe they are wiser! They know they can’t change the world so they chose to follow their own paths that take them to their own development?

But individual development is not possible unless one thinks of uplifting the other person.  But the state of affairs is different today.  People have their own agendas.  Everyone wants to be in a one-up position!