Elbow space/room

  “elbow space/room” is the popular phrase to convey the emotion of utter misery when we face lack of space, at any place/time.

Space constraints……😜

Probably, only person who can afford to maintain that “serene look’ despite severe, acute and chronic space constraints, literally disallowed even a little elbow space……is the one lying six feet below in a coffin 😂😜😜😜😜

Story says, Pushpaka Vimana of Ravana was designed to overcome space shortage, when I heard about this aeroplane that “there's always one vacant seat in it, no matter how many board”( like our gadgets with “expandable memory space” 😜🙂)...

Normal life is what I like to talk about…

How our mind looks at space constraints.

A small story.

A poor man's small hut grew crowded when his children grew up, a few got married, had children etc... His wife started grumbling....

This man had a "guru"...🙂

A village guru, illiterate as well. ( Slightly better than others in common sense 🙏)

Guru was consulted.

One good thing was the poor ones in the village quietly obey this guru ( however bizzare, crazy, funny, or stupid-looking, are... his prescriptions 😂)

Guru said " crowded? Less space? Okay....tie up your 4 legged domesticated animals inside the hut. Come after ten days"

This man felt a bit humiliated, but....as was the practice....obeyed 😜

Wife started shouting and wailing aloud. The droppings and stench of the goat & buffalo made life more miserable. But this time, the man quoted Guru. Can't disobey. 

Ten miserable days.

Very punctually the man stood before that guru/sant/saint.

The guru just looked at his face. It was all written all over the face. No need to ask "how's life?"😜

Guru said, "okay 👍....now take those animals outside and tie it at its usual place their shed outside. You may not need to come to report now.

Man heeded.

Everybody in the house (hut) experienced sudden enhancement of moving space. Cheer spread across their faces. Clean , airy.... breathe_easy....after the 4 legged ones were sent out. They forgot their earlier rant of crowding due to expansion of family members 😂.

( Story over)

Now my experience…..

At amravati

I used to spend quality time

observing afresh each time

That paanWaala sitting in a tiny cubicle for 12 hrs plus, a day.....

Literally no "elbow space/room"...

Surrounded by countless jars and containers to be able to dig out bits of ingredients for each customised pan/betel leaf... If his elbow extends a millimetre extra, he knocks of 2 to 4 jars with loose lids, ( kept unscrewed for high speed blending of its ingredients)

Most fascinating part comes only if I wait patiently, for an hour or plus.

His stiff body needs to come out of that cubicle for a minute or two at times.

He brings his elbows close to his chest so that the width of his chest matches the *_diagonal length_* of the board that separates the lower half of his body from our view🤣

He bends his knees gently, allowing his upper body to slip down vertically, till it goes below the board , and then he bends his chest between his legs to squeeze himself out onto the road. 

I am *_easily reminded_* of a child birth, though I *_never witnessed one_* 🤣

What baffles me is.....

Once he comes out and stands erect, he doesn't 'stretch' himself ( like the bus drivers do, after climbing a ghat section for 3 hours with loaded passengers, hairpin bends etc, when they get down for a cup of tea. They hop down raise their arms high, bend backwards and s-t-r-e-t-c-h...... Aaaah!

Panwala has kept a minimal customers waiting, and can't afford 'wasting time' to stretch. Revenue 😂 he rushes to get relieved, or to do something urgent, some buying from a nearby grocer, and back to go through the *_reversal process_* of re-entry into his orbit 🤣🙏🙏🙏

I think of him, and then .....I never feel any space constraints anywhere.🤣

Decades later,

a bigger shock awaited me 😜🙏🙏

On a 'holy day' at a shiva temple... buses run jam-packed to & fro from town to that temple 10 kms away at the outskirts of the city.

Buses run for 22 hrs that day. Conductors go to&fro the length of that bus, at least 15 to 20 times each trip, to collect fare, give out the correct ticket and balance coins 😞🙏🙏🙏

I often tell my cashier colleagues " try to match him, whenever you feel 'burdened' due to rush of customers.... standing patiently I a queue, clutching bundles of cash, when you sit in a safe grilled cage, with a mini fan, despite A/c...and seldom required to return excess coins/notes tendered with challan/voucher.

They painfully agree, with a bow and namaste 🙏😜😂😂😂

Sympathy, empathy, sync.... whatever,😳🙏

Helps us to come out of our own created_pain….

Spaciously yours,

PSN (7 Dec 2023)