A couple of months ago, I was going home to the suburbs after eating dinner at my cousin's place in South Mumbai. I was waiting for a bus to the station when a guy about my age stopped in front of me and took off the back cover of his mobile phone. I had no idea what he was doing, so I took a step back. Then he took off his headphones and handed me a bus ticket and told me to take it. I refused at first because I didn't know why he was giving it to me. So I asked him what it was, he explained it that it was an unlimited ticket and walked off before I could thank him. I was grateful because it meant that I wouldn't have to hunt for change or break a Rs. 50 note (I'm perpetually short on small notes and change). Then I boarded a bus to Grant Road station to go home.
On reaching the bus stop near the station, I saw a passenger hand his ticket to a man waiting for a bus . I paused and wondered: is this really happening? Then I followed suit and passed along my ticket to the friend of the man who had just received a ticket. They both looked at each other as if they had won the lottery. The receipient of my ticket smiled and said a very genuine ''thank you''. I smiled back and walked toward the station, scratching my head. I wondered if it was normal for people to do this - I'd certainly never come across anything like this before.
