The Art of Non-Verbal Communication

My journey from office back to home is usually very monotonous. Either I sleep in the bus or watch the world pass by. The other day I couldn’t sleep, because of the girl on the front seat. Her flowing hair kept flowing into my nostrils and making me sneeze. Grrrr!!! I so hate it. The other thing I hate about my travel is the traffic. Mumbai's traffic has really gone from bad to worst. The bus halted at signal. Ah!! I knew it would be more than 15 minutes before we get going again.
I looked outside the window to catch something appealing. As I scanned the people outside my gaze halted at a group of primary students probably waiting to catch the bus back home. They looked liked normal bunch of school going kids. A bag pack, water bottle, lunch box and lots of back slapping. I couldn’t hear their conversation because of all the honking and engine roaring. But they were very animated, laughing, giving high-fives, pushing and punching. Kids...I thought. That reminded me of my school days. I really wanted to eavesdrop on their conversation. I stressed my ear so that I could hear .I couldn’t hear anything...this noise pollution will really take away my hearing sense someday. I thought ill lip read. As I fixed my gaze over their lips, I couldn’
t see it moving. Did this noise pollution take away my eye-sight too? I rubbed my eyes, but I couldn’t see their lips moving, but they seem to be absorbed in tête-à-tête.
Reality struck me, like a bolt of lightning in the dark sky. They were deaf and dumb. On closer examination, I found all of them wearing hearing aid. I felt sorry them. Life can be so cruel. A bunch of bouncing, bubbling school kids with two senses less. They were using hand gestures for their conversation.
Their conversation was much better, than most of us. They were allowing one person to speak at a time while others listened with full attention. When he finished, other would put forth his point. Compare this with the corporate world. With all the Meeting, conference calls, tea time talks, but not without interrupting other person. We hear, but we never listen. We have scant respect for other's point view and are interested only in pushing our own point.
A girl moved away from the group and walked up to a guava seller. Pointing to a guava she inquired how much? Guava seller, with his index and middle finger up, said 2 Rs. 2 Rs for a guava!! Was the expression on the little girls face? Waving her hand, she said I am not going to pay you that much. I will pay only 1 Re for a guava, else I am going. After a little bargaining, the guava seller agreed with the girl and sold her the guava, for a rupee.
Wow!! That puts my mom's bargaining skills to shame. Imagine bargaining over the price without uttering a word. And we with all the words can’t even bargain. That the art of gentle persuasion.
Now I started feeling sorry for myself. I couldn’t understand what they were talking...but they could understand every word that was spoken. This is An Art of Non-Verbal Communication.
My train of thoughts was broken with roar of the engine. But I learnt a lesson. You really don’t need words to convey your message. That "Actions speak louder than words"