Pride and prejudice

There are some incidents in life which will serve as a reality check on how clumsy our preconceived notions are. Today I was witness to one such. When boarding a bus to office,  I came across a woman who could be visibly classified as a beggar. She had all the adjectives and props we associate with the profession - a dirty look, tattered saree, old and dirty bag with a matching PET bottle. I succeeded in getting inside the bus with an adequate distance from her. As soon as we got in she managed to evoke similar reactions from many passengers. She even got a rebuke from the driver as she scampered to the unusable corner of the bus to seat herself next to the engine. Then came a shock to me and all passengers as she fished out a fully paid season ticket and asked the people seated near her for making a tick mark as indication of travel. Since I was the one with a pen I made a tick mark and returned it. I was amazed as well as humbled when I saw the honesty in her action as i'm sure no ticket checker will even have the inclination to ask her for a ticket. It is because of people like her that the rain god still visits us.