I am one of those people who’ll ask ‘Hey, have you seen my phone?’ when it’s most probably in my bag or try to search for my specs when it’s likely resting on my head. Basically, I don’t ‘lose’ things, I just temporarily ‘misplace’ them- at least that’s what I tell myself.
Back in December 2017, during peak tourist season, my friend Stella and I decided to visit Udaipur around New year’s. And Udaipur, is known for its handicrafts, for its colourful bazaars where one can get beautiful souvenirs, jewellery, dupattas and more!
So off we went one afternoon, strolling through the lanes- admiring the prints and artworks. I was keen to get a certain kind of stole and my friend had a few things in mind as well. We went to different shops, and finally I found ‘the one’ (erm) the stole I wanted. I reached out for my wallet but couldn’t feel it in my handbag- prompting me to give it a thorough look only to realise that it’s not there. I looked at Stella and said ‘I think I left my wallet at one of the shops’. We had withdrawn some cash in the morning, most of which was with me- so both of us immediately were concerned (quite glad that digital payments have picked up significantly now).
I asked the shopkeeper to keep the stole and that we’ll quickly go to the shops we visited and search for it. It was evening, and bazaars in Udaipur shut early. While we managed to go back to 1-2 shops, we didn’t have any luck. They had wrapped up but didn’t see any lost items. The other two stores had closed before our arrival.
Of course when you lose your wallet, the main concern is more w.r.t ID and cards. We went back to the shop where the owner was waiting for us- He could have been annoyed because it was just one item we wanted to purchase from him. But instead, he helped call the owner of the shop that was closed although they only solace they could provide was they would check again. Then seconds later, he said that the other store owner puts his stall at this particular fair/flea market at night and he could drop me there to speak with him. I hopped on his bike, trusting the man and went to the fair- again with an optimism bias but nothing panned out. The person said ‘Arey aap kal subah fir aa jaana, mil jaana chahiye’.
I anyway felt grateful for the shopkeeper for helping us out even though he didn’t need to do so much. We were walking back to our hotel and I thought we have tried and I should block my card now.
The optimism bias of ‘I will get it back’ was now fading. Nonetheless, we thought we’ll at least go back to the lane to thank the owner and purchase from him. Both of us got ready, had chai and went off again. We were walking past the shops, when a person started slowing his bike next to us. As females, we do tend to get startled in such situations. We continued to walk with a poker face when he interrupted and said ‘mam aap kal humari shop pe aaye thay?’ and I said ‘Yes’- anticipating that he was about to ask something. And then he blurted out- ‘Aap apna wallet humari dukaan pe chhod gaye thay’ and our eyes widened with happiness. He continued- ‘Maine aapke Voter ID card se naam dekh ke- Aapko Facebook par bhi message kiya tha aur shop ka address bheja tha par shayad aapne dekha nahi raat ko’. We were stumped by his words and gesture. This person took the effort of finding a stranger on social media to return her belonging. But of course, it went to my ‘Others’ folder and I wouldn’t have looked at it in ages probably.
We thanked him, got a harem pant from his shop and finally went to the shop to buy the stole. To our surprise, there was an auto right outside his shop with a text written that made us think that the universe surely was looking out for us. It said ‘Jesus Save me’ and it became somehow more amusing to us because Stella is a Christian. We couldn’t stop beaming and smiling like happy children. Sometimes it just really is surprising how things work out and while there may be instances where things get stolen, these random acts of kindness stay with us and make us believe that people do help. The acts which make us trust the world a bit more and continues to fuel my ‘optimism bias’.
And several years later, that muave stole still adorns my wardrobe as a reminder of that act.
From,
Abha
