Once upon a time, like usual, I was walking by the lanes of Nagla Haveli, New Agra. I had to reach Bhagwan Talkies (chauraha route) where the auto-rickshaws were standing for passengers like us to help us reach our destinations on time. In fact, the whole bus stand functions as a stop for the city’s buses in the Bhagwan Talkies area.
I was still walking down from my college to Nagla Haveli. As a pedestrian, I am pretty popular due to my habit (or should I say, my obsession) of walking on foot for at least one or two kilometres, after college hours.
When I finally reached near the Bhagwan Talkies road (before the chauraha), there was a lot of jam due to the vehicles. This made it impossible to cross the road and reach the chauraha. All of a sudden, I saw an old woman who was unable to even walk properly. It made me wonder how she, an old lady who was literally limping, would cross the road when I was unable to do so myself.
I helped her reach the Bhagwan Talkies chauraha. After all, she resembled my late grandmother a lot.
The next day, I attended my lectures like usual. Suddenly, a classmate of mine, Shivani Mishra, asked me about the old woman and my relationship with her. She asked me whether the old woman was my blood relation, as she had perceived it to be. I told her that the lady wasn’t related to me – she was a stranger whom I met on the road, who needed help as she couldn’t cross the road on her own. I just thought of helping her – and so I did. Yes, she wasn’t related to me, except for a humanitarian approach from my side.
Shivani Mishra appreciated me for my kindness and act of humanity towards the old woman. But, to be honest, I felt that I hadn’t done something to be proud of. It was my responsibility to help the woman – and I will do so for anyone who genuinely needs it. I asked her to not make me a hero, as I hadn’t done anything unique or astonishingly brave.
Before parting, I told my classmate that I have a strong feeling that we all must help the person who genuinely needs it. In my opinion, kindness is an act of gratitude that can be performed only by those who do it without any expectations or demands from others. Kindness and empathy towards others should be our religion.
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Featured image used for representative purposes only.