What's your Sonder story?

Sonder :
the strong feeling of realizing that every person you see has their own life story in which they are the most important.

I'm not someone who easily strikes up a conversation with a random passerby, I talk to a stranger only if the situation demands it. I've been trying to change this thing for a while now, hope that I'll reach there one day.

So once, I was in a bus stand waiting for the bus. This was during the initial days after joining a volunteering which required me to travel to another place every Sunday. I was not used to travelling via bus so I struggled to find a bus which will get me home. That's when I saw an uncle standing near parked buses. I went to him and asked,
"Chetta ee XYZ sthalath nirthunna bus epolaa veruaa?"

He said the buses come frequently, pine suggested some bus routes which included my bus stop.
Njn thank you paranj wait cheyyan thudangi.

10 minutes passed by, nte sthalathot povnaa bus ithuvarem vannillaa.
So I got bored and I thought of talking to him.
"Chettan engotekka?"

Pulli oru sthalaperu paranj, enik evideyaan aryulenkilum ariyunna pole abhinayichu.

He then asked me whether I was studying or working, I replied that I was studying in a nearby college, pinne briefed about the volunteering thingy.

Pinne he started to tell his story,

"Mwone, njn ee junctionil aahn pani edukanee, dhaande aa road murich apurath kadannal first kanunna kada, enteyaa. 25 varsham aayit ivide thanneyaan. Enik rand makkalund, rand pereyum nannayi kettichu vittu , appo athoru samadhaanam aahn, kazhinja azcha njn pani edukane sthalathu ninn rand pere pirichu vittu, karanam kachavadam illathond. Ippo njanum veroruthanum koodiye ollu, nammaleyum ee aduth thenne pirichu vidum. Mwone ee junction illeyo, kadakal kond niranjathaa, ee road pani karanam naatukark murich kadakkan okke buddhimutt aahn, appo thekkot ponavar okke ee sidil ninnum vadakott ponoor okke apporathunum sanam medikkum pand ingane ayirunilla rand bagathinum alkar medikuvarn. Ee vikasanam okke sheri thanne, pakshe ath nammle pole sadharana kaare buddhimuttichond enthinaan? ee flyoverinte oru avashyam polum illa ivide"

"Road pani thudangit kore aayalle?" I asked.

"Haa kure aayi, enim oru 3 kollam edukkum ithonnu poorthiyaavan, enth mecham? aark mecham? ivide ulla kachavadam kurayum, kadakkal pootum, pinne ivark evden fund kittum ithokke paniyan? apo pani theeran veendum vaykum."

Athuvere veetilek engne ethanam enn vicharichondirunna ente mindilek pullide life kadann keri. I stopped for a moment and began thinking about him and hundreds of people working as shop keepers, helpers etc in that area.

And one thing kept on echoing in my mind, " ee vikasanam vikasanam parayunnath naatukark sahayathine vendiyalle, athu upadravamakumbol enthu cheyyum? "

"Dhee aa busil keriyal mwonte stoppil erangam", oru busiloot choondikond aa maaman paranju, njn onnudi thank you paranj busil keri.

I didn't know what to say to him, would comfort words even do something in this situation?

Thirich pokumbol I began observing people who boarded the bus, chelor velya bag aayit aahn keriyath dhoore yathrak pokunath poleyum, chelavark mukath santhosham, chelorde mukhath sheenam, chelar ottak aarn yathra cheythirunath, chelar avarde kuttikalodoppovum, I wish I could talk to them , hear their part of the story in which they are the main character, as a side character if it helps them a bit.

This was the moment of sonder for me, so what's your Sonder story?