While most, if not all, of us do have the urge to contribute to the society, we sometimes get lost in the madness around us. A poignant reminder about the "power of giving" unravelled on my trip to Bangalore. I was at my very close friend's house visiting his parents and his brothers, when one of the younger brothers - Giri, got a call from a bus driver. A day earlier, the driver had blanked out in the middle of the road while driving the bus - he couldnt see or think clearly. The entire passenger lot just got off the bus, except for Giri who went on and enquired about his health. He took him to a hospital where the driver didnt have enough money to get the necessary tests done. Giri paid for the tests and ensured that the driver was in good hands, before he went back home. While I was at their residence, the driver called Giri to extend his gratitude and wanted to pay back the medical expenses, which the latter politely declined and wished the driver good health.
Many years back, while I was in the US, my brother had saved the life of a total stranger ( Pandian ) who was hit by a speeding vehicle and lay on the roads in rain, struggling for his life. With none coming to his rescue, my bro alighted from his bike and took him an auto to a hospital, checked him in and as movies would have it - the doctor uttered those magic words : "had it been few minutes late, the patient was unlikely to survive." The difference this time was that it was no movie scene. In his quest to save a life, my brother forgot that his cell phone had lost its power, while my parents were frantically trying to reach him. The patient received deep stitches and had to undergo progressive surgery to reduce the injury marks. After recovering, he called and visited our home with his mom. It was a touching moment when his mother thanked my brother for saving her son's life. Since then, Pandian has become a very close friend of our family and visits my parents, even when my brother and me are not around.
These were stirring moments of selfless help that make us admire and appreciate the good samaritan in us, and serve as an inspiration to do our best towards helping people - irrespective of religion, caste and creed.
