As I promised last week, I have come back with a new set of Monday Truclusions. We, in the last couple of days, have celebrated the “Joy of Giving Week”, now popularly known as “Daan Utsav”. So, how can I not tell you a few incidents, which were narrated to me, and some things I witnessed personally. For a change this time my stories are real!
But before I do that, I must speak about the person who narrated these incidents to me. Readers who follow TED might be familiar with the name of Nipun Mehta. One of the most celebrated TED talks about the designing of generosity was delivered by him. Let me narrate the incident that he narrated to me. This is how it goes.
First comes an excerpt from the autobiography of Nipun’s role model-
The Father Of Our Nation, Mahatma Gandhi
It once so happened that Bapu was desperately looking for something. Seeing his unrest, Kaka Sahib- one of the members from his intimate circles, asked- “Bapu, what are you searching for?” Bapu replied “A small pencil”. Kaka Sahib was perplexed to see the legend so desperately looking for a small pencil.
He said, “Bapu, don’t worry I will get you a new pencil.” But Bapu continued his search till he found the same small pencil and Kaka did not stop him. He understood that the worth of generosity is not the money for which it was bought, but the feelings, the love with which it is given to the receiver.
Now decades later, this excerpt was heard by an old lady-
The Janitor At A School – Shakku Ben
Overwhelmed with the thought, Shakku Ben too wanted to give something with immense love to the underprivileged kids in her locality. Without understanding the meaning, she wondered- “What can I give? I am only a janitor.” Shakku Ben was perturbed with the same thought.
It was then that it dawned on her that she could indeed give something. The next day she went to the school and began to collect all the sharpened pencils, blunt sharpeners, and erasers that the kids in the school had thrown in the thrash. Shakku Ben came back home and distributed the stuff she had collected from the trash at school among the kids in her locality.
She witnessed the joy on the faces of the kids. The happiness she experienced was out of this world. She decided that she would collect whatever useful stuff she could find from the school trash and distribute. The stuff that was considered to be waste by other kids was essential to these underprivileged kids.
My Personal Experience Of Joy Of Giving
What better example can I speak of than of my dear friend, Bharath Sharma. He gave me something we all fall short of always, that is ‘time’! Let me explain- this was way back in the year 2000, when I got admitted to the engineering course and Bharath wasn’t as his scores were not enough. It all started on the first day of college when he accompanied mom to drop me to college.
The plan was that I would be picked and dropped every day to college by him, but I will have to manage my time in college on my own. But Bharath had heard stories about my family; my mom had spent half her life on the footpath outside my school waiting for my call anytime of the day. My voice, which already was a slur, would get much worse when I would get tensed. Being alone among strangers in a class was something that was getting me worked up.
Later that semester, my academic results were dismal. I wrote the exams by myself as I could not find a scribe. Everyone we asked declined our request to write for me, because they felt it would waste their precious time. People from my family couldn’t be my scribe as the rules demanded that the scribe could not be my blood relative.
It was then that…
Bharath Stepped Up
…and said, “I will write for you.” My results improved for the simple fact that I could attend at least 60-70% of the questions in the stipulated time most times. Then one fine day over a casual conversation I said, “Who will be my scribe next semester as you would get a good score in your exam and secure an engineering seat!”
I don’t know what triggered in him, but Bharath went to write his exams but didn’t write it. Instead he decided to be my scribe for the next four years. In spite of being advised and even threatened at times by everyone he knew, including me. He was hell bent on helping me realize my dream of becoming a qualified engineer and as they say the rest is history.
Yes I agree, there might be an argument that everyone may not be as fortunate as I am. I do agree I am extremely fortunate to have a support system like I do. But just give it a thought. Can’t all of us be generous enough to people who need help of any form, while we are still on this Mother Earth? It is okay even if we act with a selfish thought of being remembered long after we are gone. I leave you with these thoughts for you to ponder upon. Until next week, it is Hasta la Vista from me!
Smile
Someday when I am dead
I want to be useful from toe to head
As I want to live not in memories
But in somebody instead
Even when I am gone
If my eyes gift someone a new dawn
That’s when I would feel reborn
A new hope would start
When a new chest shelters my heart
Soul mates need not part
When the world would be seen through my eyes
If my heart could ring someone a new sun rise
That is when I would smile from the skies
When every organ I do donate
I’ll find a friend to whom I can relate
There would be a smile that I create