Vibha V’s Post

A bit of a late post, but the memory kept staying with me- Last month, on my first ride in the Vande Bharat train from Bangalore to Tirupur, I had an unexpected moment of awareness about privilege. At first, I found myself uncomfortable with the AC being too cold. A small inconvenience. Then I overheard a mother on the phone with her daughter, saying again and again how happy she was about her Bangalore visit—“Fulla AC da… Thursday all day in AC, and now this train also, super nice!” For her, it was joy, not discomfort. Closer to my station, a young girl boarded and sat beside me. She was curious about my pink hair, asked where I was from. She shared she was training in nursing—even though her dream was to study business and media. Her parents felt nursing was safer, since her mother did the same and had a steady income. Just as I was about to get down, food was served. I didn’t feel like eating the railway meal, so I asked if she’d like to have it. Her face lit up with gratitude. “Yes yes, I like this North Indian food, I will eat it 😊.” That moment stayed with me. 🌸 So many of our journeys are filled with invisible layers of privilege—what we take for granted, others may celebrate with joy. What we dismiss, others may receive with gratitude… It reminded me to pause, notice, and appreciate the unseen gifts in my life.