Spotted: God at Work - At the Gandhinagar Bus Terminus, Coimbatore

It was the 13th of Feb, 2009. As part of my job, I was touring in Coimbatore.

I had a meeting fixed at a place some 25 kms from Coimbatore. I had to wait at the ever-busy, Gandhinagar Bus Terminus for the long distance bus to arrive.

My cell phone showed the time as 8 am. The crowd has started pouring in. The TV sets (erected in the bus shelters to keep people entertained during their long waits) were switched on. There was utter commotion as I see people jogging from one platform to another. As and when buses come, people throng them to “reserve” a seat for themselves and their kin. They throw their hand-kerchiefs or a shawl or their bag onto the seat to make a temporary reservation.

Amidst this buzz, from nowhere, I saw a group of men and women with brooms and baskets to arrive at the spot.

God at work!
The group was apparently headed by a man clad in khaki short and half-pants. The man and his brigade were there to clean the Terminus off its previous day’s garbage.

The headman in Khaki assumed the main-role; he had a broom with a lengthy stick attached to it.

I should say what I saw left me speechless and I thought I was bound by something very unique that was never experienced (as I write this, I could get the same feeling again). No man or woman would have ever cleaned their OWN HOME with such care and love!

With reckless garbage strewn all over, the Bus Terminus was itself looking like a huge garbage bin. This man with a smiling face, started his work. His child-like agility (he was literally was springing all around) and the keenness he displayed was a new thing for me.

He would clean a portion and then look back. If there is some waste lying in the cleaned area, he would swiftly go there to pick it up through his broom. As he cleaned, there were loose papers from his collected garbage pool that would fly off. He would not allow it so; he would run behind it to collect it, to add it again to his collected pool of garbage.

The man was appearing as though he was ordained to this noble work. I could see he was enjoying every bit of it. His team worked in amazing unison; as he was busy with the main stream, the others were busy with the platforms.

The headman was working in a relatively dangerous area as the buses were plying in his zone. The buses were rushing past. The headman exhibited the required precaution to ensure that he doesn’t get run over by a speeding bus. Yet, his hands and eyes were steadily at work; both, sweeping the garbage out and also ensuring no waste remains unattended.

His demeanor
The headman was sporting a gentle smile on his face. Though he was sweating, he was not looking tired. He was wearing a turban on his head. It covered his forehead and a major part of his head. He was in his early 50s. His gentle smile was like a permanent feature. His demeanor was just the same; regardless of the content of the waste – be it human waste (spit) or a plastic waste.

His team had middle aged men and women (in their mid 30s). They all held rapt attention to the work on hand. No talk or wastage of time could be witnessed.

There is no tomorrow
They came and cleaned as though there is no tomorrow. It appeared as though it was the last day of their career, and they all wanted to give their very best and nothing else.

I have rarely seen a band of committed workers, all working for a common goal; surrendering to it completely.

My heart was in bliss and the joy was unlimited. I felt as though thousands of rivers were flowing inside me and as though I have just witnessed a dance of the Almighty.

After I “woke” up from the work of God and his team, I could realize that the world around me has stayed oblivious of this. I slowly realized that I had literally followed the headman wherever he had gone (in the Bus Terminus) and cleaned.

I narrated this incident to folks in my family. They too were spellbound by the Godly act at the Gandhinagar Bus Terminus in Coimbatore.