The busy hurried lives that we lead, we barely get time to register people and events happening around us. So once in a while we notice and then tend to feel sorry for the less fortunate beings around us and get into a benevolent mood. And so I found myself one fine early morning……
The object of my benevolence was a small puppy that was squealing intermittently (probably calling out to its mother). I was waiting for a few friends to arrive at the train station. With nothing better to do, I stood watching the pup’s antics as it squealed, followed people around, nudged around a few legs, squealed again, retraced its steps back and so on. Meanwhile an urchin stood in another desolate corner begging for alms as usual from the few who stood at the ticket window. I fathomed the pup must be squealing with hunger, its cries now seemingly more pitiful and so as soon as I spotted one of my friends I asked her to wait for the others and went to get some food for the hungry pup and the urchin too (“show humanity” to a stray dog but forget a stray human! Nah!)
It was early morning hours, a public holiday, there were hardly any shops open. It took some searching but eventually I found an open shop that mercifully had some pav (Indian bread) leftover. I brought some and promptly returned to see my friend standing with an ear to ear grin. Wondering what it was about I looked around …..….both the puppy and the urchin had vanished. In the time that I took to find the food, the pup had wandered off, the urchin too had climbed a train and went off to try his luck someplace else. I stood there, feeling slightly stupid and embarrassed now, holding two pieces of pav in my hands, wondering what to do with it now, my friends laughter now ringing in my ears…… so much for my act of kindness! I spotted the watchman of a nearby enclosure grinning at me. Hesitantly I offered him the pav, he offered to share it with us with his tea …wow ! And so we shared a perfect morning cuppa of tea and pav with an absolute stranger. Well not an act of kindness but it sure made us feel good!
The object of my benevolence was a small puppy that was squealing intermittently (probably calling out to its mother). I was waiting for a few friends to arrive at the train station. With nothing better to do, I stood watching the pup’s antics as it squealed, followed people around, nudged around a few legs, squealed again, retraced its steps back and so on. Meanwhile an urchin stood in another desolate corner begging for alms as usual from the few who stood at the ticket window. I fathomed the pup must be squealing with hunger, its cries now seemingly more pitiful and so as soon as I spotted one of my friends I asked her to wait for the others and went to get some food for the hungry pup and the urchin too (“show humanity” to a stray dog but forget a stray human! Nah!)
It was early morning hours, a public holiday, there were hardly any shops open. It took some searching but eventually I found an open shop that mercifully had some pav (Indian bread) leftover. I brought some and promptly returned to see my friend standing with an ear to ear grin. Wondering what it was about I looked around …..….both the puppy and the urchin had vanished. In the time that I took to find the food, the pup had wandered off, the urchin too had climbed a train and went off to try his luck someplace else. I stood there, feeling slightly stupid and embarrassed now, holding two pieces of pav in my hands, wondering what to do with it now, my friends laughter now ringing in my ears…… so much for my act of kindness! I spotted the watchman of a nearby enclosure grinning at me. Hesitantly I offered him the pav, he offered to share it with us with his tea …wow ! And so we shared a perfect morning cuppa of tea and pav with an absolute stranger. Well not an act of kindness but it sure made us feel good!
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