Tea Break

Half of the world's favorite beverage is a refreshing cup of hot tea. I particularly am extremely fond of having tea. All exhaustion, worry, stress and anxiety l feel are sidelined if not erased for the time being when l sip a cup of tea. By profession a teacher and with choice a writer, l always look for excuses to have my favorite drink. In routine 7 or 8 cups keep me geared. My fondness is specifically noticed by one of my most favorite colleagues who without failure shares reels based on tea addiction on Instagram regularly. May be she has an intent to get me out of the spell of tea for my physical well-being. 

Almost a fortnight back in my school l was given a novel responsibility,  a new learning experience which required me to be in the best-loved niche of mine in school i.e library of our school. Libraries have always held an attraction for me . As a student, l loved to spend my leisure time first in my school's library,  then college n later had got a card issued for the district library. The silence of the library for me always meant the edifying and priceless noise that every book on the shelves created. The enriching noise of the books for deciphering which sight was the only sense needed. 

Let me not digress and get to the focal point ,

I was super excited for the new liability l was supposed to discharge. The new venture meant l was going to get to work with two of mine seniors and most dedicated and experienced colleagues. Another thing that l relished was the hospitality that was extended by our school to the teachers of the surrounding schools who were also involved for an effective accomplishment of the given task as well as the team of our school. Every day from 8:30 till almost 3:45 we were supposed to work there. 

During the day twice we were served tea. It was ordered from our school's canteen.  For a couple of days, l couldn't digest the price of a very small cup of tea i.e.15 rupees per cup. For a person like me who is habitual of having a full to brim steel tumbler of tea both in the morning and evening , this  much quantity was very less. Anyhow, it wasn't tea that would please me the most. Infact,  it was the worker of the canteen whom l liked. She was around 30 years old, dark complexioned lady with dreamy eyes and a very innocent smile.

From day one when we two exchanged glances for the first time there was a soul to soul connect established between two of us. I don't know why l really wish to know people, peep into their world and yearn to get to know about their life stories.  Since, l believe  that every person is a book and l want to read atleast as many books as l can till l am breathing. She was not even five feet, a very slender female who couldn't even speak proper Hindi due to her regional dialect that always overpowered. 

I didn't realize when l started to wait for her arrival in the library. She would be wearing almost every day  the same yellow salwar suit which surprisingly hadn't any body odour to make one feel repulsive. From her clothes it was apparent that she couldn't afford many changes and must be washing those every day to repeat them next day as there won't be even a single stain on her attires. There was a slight squint in her eyes and in her parting she would fill bright red vermillion powder marking her married. Her hair were always oiled and tied in a neat bun. A few red glass bangles that she would wear on her wrists would look nice on her delicate arms. I would feel mesmerized when she would enter holding more than 15 chinaware cups, two or three tea kettles with eatables on a tray in one go. Her balancing skill would leave me in awe. I felt carrying a little bit of burden would leave pain in my wrist, arm and even in back and she would march all the way crossing three four corridors and would climb on the first floor to be in the library holding so many things. The most magical fact was her willingness to work . She would come and go three or four times without any frown or complain. I wondered why at times l would find myself cribbing even if a little more was added to my work list? I really need to learn from her.

Every day the moment she would come l would get distracted from my work and my gaze would start following her. She on her part would reciprocate me with a very pleasing smile. She didn't realize but she became one of the reasons for me to look forward to another day. One day she brought sandwiches and forgot tissue papers. We all pointed out that to her.She amused  me and my colleagues first by just smiling in her simple way as if she wasn't understanding us and then in the evening when she brought tissues with evening tea when they weren't required at all.

I have had phases of pessimistic traumatic experiences throughout my life ,especially after the demise of my father. Since the previous two weeks my spirits were extremely down due to the reasons best known to the Almighty. It was one such phase of trauma when apparently l am all smiles but crumbling deep down. I was always occupied in my work but anxiety issues l have so far concealed from the world would magically rest for a while only when that lady would be around. On a particular day when she smiled as usual while pouring tea into the cups l commented about her to one of my colleagues. I asked her if it wasn't true that that lady though poor seemed more happy, healthy and contended than us. My colleague voted in favour of my remark without argument adding that being unaware of the ways of the world  saves one from unnecessary worries. Knowledge especially the excessive one is the root cause of all suffering, she concluded. l was surprised with the intensity of her philosophy on suffering. 

At that time, it didn't occur to me that grass is always greener on the other side. After almost two weeks, in the morning that day, realizing that my duties will be switched from there l made up my mind to initiate a conversation with that lady. She as usual entered the library and her eyes like mine lighted up the moment we greeted each other. She served tea on all the tables and ultimately came on ours. She had as if sensed that l was going to talk to her lingered longer near our table. I asked her where she lived.  She said sector 3, like a parrot which is taught a few pet sentences. She wasn't aware that the school where she was serving tea was in the same sector. Then l asked her if she belonged to Haryana.  First she shook her head vehemently and then with pride told us that she was from Bihar. She took name of some district l wasn't aware of. I had felt she must be mom to one or two kids. But to my shock when l asked her about her children she told me she had five children. "Five", l almost screamed inviting inquisitive glances from two nearby tables. To my shock she wasn't aware of her age . Obviously she was an illiterate rustic woman. All she could tell was that her eldest son was eighteen years old and her youngest child was a nine months old baby girl. I and my colleagues were  still sure that she was in her early thirties almost 15 years younger than l am.

Something in me forewarned me to put full stop to the conversation there but she as if wished to talk and share her life's circumstances with me and one of my colleagues didn't budge from there . She as if sensing my discomfort at the thought of her frail being carrying so much burden blurted out that she had tried to prevent conceiving but her copper IUD had failed. My heart was filled with sympathy for her and strong repungance for the poor working of the health department. The poor woman had the knowledge but didn't have the means to get proper health services.  It was heart breaking to think that there was a vast sea of want and misery behind that ever smiling visage. She stood there for a few moments for us to say something but both l and my colleague were lost in our thoughts. She silently picked up cups and moved towards the exit door.  Automatically my gaze rushed in her direction to as if to salute her grit and liveliness.  She instinctively smiled back towards me l returned smile half-heartedly thanking the Almighty for my being on the other side of the table while simultaneously praying  for her health and happiness. I never knew that those tea breaks l would relish the most were there to make me realize though may be for a little while that there is so much suffering in the world and that behind every smiling face there is an underlining streak of dejection and sadness. The sole suit she wore, the hardwork she was doing for her family with a beautiful smile proved that happiness is a state of mind and true bliss can't be purchased at any cost from anywhere  on this accursed planet.