The recent trend of Facebook posts on Humans of New York made me wonder as to why, the humanity in India, though in minority, is considered an extinct species? As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.” An unknown Mangalorean personified these words for me.
Like every other, drenched-in-rain-late-for-class, KMCite, I ran to catch an auto. As I hustled into it, with my bag, apron and my most prized possession, the umbrella, I had no idea, I had dropped my wallet on the road. It had all my cash, ATM cards, ID cards and Driving License. So basically I lost all my survival tools.
I jumped off the auto and ran back to the same spot in search of it. I went to each shop and asked the people around. No one had any clue. We were drowning, my heart with despair and myself on the overflowing roads of Mangalore.
After a while I recovered from my depression and started doing formalities to block my ATM cards, when my mother called. I realized my booster dose of “how careless independence has made you” tonic was overdue. But this time she had news. She had received a phone call from a guy speaking a foreign language and repeating my name. When I tried calling him I understood he was speaking Kannada and had something important to tell me.
With help of a localite friend I deciphered that the guy’s mother had found my wallet outside KMC Hospital. They saw my mothers contact number on the courier slip in my wallet and had dialed her to inform. We requested him to return the wallet as it had my ID cards. He traveled all the way from Kasargod (A town 60 km from Mangalore) for it. He handed my belongings untouched. He refused my request to even buy him a meal or the return ticket. I could just say thank you before that unnamed smiling face disappeared in the crowd again.
I was amazed at his family’s gesture of kindness. But the reason is still a mystery. Was it the gratitude towards the white coat I had? Was it an act of kindness in the vast pool of selfish behavior?
This incident personified that all it needs is a heartfelt intention to help someone. We have to be the change, we expect in the society. For humanity to flourish, the seeds are to be sown by us. We are the generation of revolutions and society needs one.
About the Author: Shruti Tandon, Doc by profession, 007 batch KMC Mangalore passout, Loves to read anything and everything. Adores daily post. Practices writing as a stress buster. Wish to start a blog.
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