Acts of kindness

There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t met yet’ — this quote is something we all need to keep in our minds, especially when we rush forward with our busy lives, unmindful of everyone else but ourselves. Too often, people have not had a shoulder to lean on when they wanted it the most. But there have also been sometimes when one can get help from the unlikeliest of quarters and it is enough to brighten their day.

“Once I was going back home after a particularly terrible day,” says Gouri Sathish, a law student. “I was sitting near the window in the bus and my eyes kept welling up. I did not notice when a young girl came and sat next to me. After a few moments, she asked me if I was alright. I just gave a noncommittal answer. But she persisted and asked me to be strong. She talked about how life could be tough but we need to have the strength to pick ourselves up. I was quite confused at first. Why was a stranger being so nice to me? But then I started listening to her and felt much better by the time I reached my stop.

She got down with me and I thanked her for everything and asked her if she lived nearby. She replied that she had travelled 3 blocks beyond her bus stop to talk to me as I seemed incredibly upset. I was touched beyond words,” says Gouri, smiling.

Such incidents, when they occur, leave an indelible mark on the lives of the people involved.

Though one is used to getting consolations or words of advice from friends and family, it acquires special significance when it comes from strangers.

“I was surprised when a middle-aged lady accosted me on the road one day,” says Farhan S. “I was wearing headphones and walking along, not noticing that dug up mud was unloaded on the roadside, making the road very slippery. The lady came rushing over to me from behind and held my arm. I was naturally shocked and asked her what the matter was. She pointed out how I was likely to fall if I walked on that side of the road and advised me to cross. Once on the other side, she advised me, very sweetly, how I should pay attention to my surroundings and be more alert. I was so surprised at this random act of kindness that I didn’t even thank her properly. I still search for her when I go to that area even now,” she adds.

Everyone loves incidents like these as they reinforce our belief in humanity. But while strangers get a lot of credit for being nice, sometimes we need to appreciate even those acquaintances who did not need to help but still did so.

 “I had a normal professional relationship with my boss Malika until I fell violently sick due to food poisoning,” shares Piyali Guha, a professional.

 “Everyone was considerate and enquired about my health, including her. But after office hours, she made me sit next to her in the cabin and talked about the importance of eating healthy and taking care of oneself. She asked me to take a few days off and after I came back, she got me home cooked food for the next two weeks. To say that I was surprised would be an understatement,” says Piyali, laughing.

As Judy Greer would say, ‘Seems as if there is life left on this planet after all’.