Humane Moments

Archana, 13, Bangalore, 01/01/07
.I had my exams going on. That day I had come back home in a rickshaw. The following incident took place when I was on my way back home in that rickshaw. On the way to my house there is a huge ground on which many children play. The driver of this rickshaw suddenly happened to shout out to two children walking on this ground. They came closer and he asked them to sit in his auto and he moved on. I watched on with numerous thoughts of what I had just seen. I thought they were probably related or probably family friends. We moved on. I live in 8th main. As we approached 1st main he asked them where he should drop them. It only then struck me that he had never seen them and that he just wanted to save them from walking that long distance. I was thrilled. I did not say a word. As I approached 7th main I told him to stop. I did not want to spend anything more. He stopped. Then he mumbled, “but you said you live in 8th main. Why did you stop here then?” I said I couldn’t pay anymore even if he dropped me to my house. He literally pulled me back into the auto and said, “you come…I will drop you home”. And like he said he did not take a rupee from me except what I had paid him at 7th main and dropped me just in front of my house.

.It was late into the evening when my father’s aunt was walking through the flooded streets. There was water up to knee level. Suddenly she fell into an open manhole. She was completely in. Out of the blue; two men came by and helped her out. She didn’t know them but they willingly they came to help her.

.We were on our way to Trichur in Kerala. A group of people was leaving the train. They had a lot of bags in their hand and were unable to open the door. My uncle noticed this and held the door till everyone left.

.We were returning from Kerala in a train. At our stop we had to carry our luggage out. We had many bags. All of us got out of the train .Seeing this a man in the train came to help us and passed the bags out to us. Only after this did he take out his own luggage.

Archana, 13, Bangalore, 28/01/06
My mother was sick and was sleeping in her room. My father goes to the office every morning, quite early. During this busy schedule of his, he stopped by the room, spoke to my mother and only then he left. This really touched my mother.

Sneha, 10, Pune, 27/01/06
. During one of my exams this incident happened. When I was writing the paper my ruler fell down and I bent down to pick it up. The girl who was sitting in front of me had also bent down for some work. The teacher saw that and thought that we both were talking. She called us near her and told us both that she was reducing 5 marks from the paper. But when we tried to explain to her that we were not talking, my partner got up on his own and told the teacher that I was not talking and had bent down to pick up my scale. On hearing this my teacher told me to get back to my place. I thanked my partner for this.

.While going in the bus to school, my friend Kanika suddenly told us that she had forgotten her water bottle. She was not feeling well too. She had severe cough and my another friend, Aayushi had one bottle which had warm water. So she gave away that bottle to Kanika and did not drink water till the school got over. We were really zapped to see this caring nature of Aayushi towards Kanika.

Anita, Pune, 27/01/06
During our conversation with our Swamiji regarding one of his recent tours, he mentioned that they had travelled 4000kms in 10 days by road. I was amazed and said that Chandu and Sundar would have really had a tough time driving, knowing the bad condition of the roads in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Swamiji immediately said that Sundar would not allow Chandu to drive as it would aggravate his back pain.

Chandu, Wayanad, 27/01/06
The following is an incident shared by a friend who settled in US: “For the past several years, when I shop at one of the large stores in our area, I use one of their electric carts to get around. Yesterday was one of those days. The carts were usually kept near the cash registers, by the exit doors. I always go in the exit door (yes, I know that is a no-no) because that is where the carts were kept. Well, the carts had been moved close to the entrance doors as I discovered when I asked the checker. To my delight, she offered to call to customer service and have them bring the cart to me. As I sat and waited for the cart, I observed this very pleasant young lady interact with the other customers. She treated them with such kindness and courtesy that it really added a warm fuzzy feeling to my day. As I checked out after finishing my shopping, I asked her if she was always so nice to everyone. Her response, as I might have expected was that was the way she had been taught to treat people by her parents and it was just second nature. I left her with one small key chain and she was so delighted she immediately showed it to the next customer in line! What a difference we can make with just a kind word or gesture, and how I love the feeling of having brought a smile to the face of a stranger! Try it---you'll like it, as the saying goes! Have a joyous day.”

.Based on a report by Smt. Nazia Alvi in HINDUSTAN TIMES of December 29, 2005: Lalita stood transfixed as the terrorist aimed the AK-56 at her. A second later, she found herself pushed to the ground by someone behind — it was her 61-year-old professor. Most of the 50 rounds that the terrorist fired hit Professor M.C. Puri, right in his chest. "He saved my life. If it wasn't for him, I would have been dead," Lalita, a lecturer at Delhi University's Rajdhani College, told Puri's wife Raksha later. "They were crossing the road when the firing started and uncle pushed her and came right in the line of fire," said Nisha Jaggi, the professor's niece. His friends remember Puri as the peace-broker. "We always knew him as a jovial, polite and humble man. But that evening, Puri made the ultimate sacrifice and showed us that he was made of different stuff," said colleague Ashok Malhotra. Puri fell to terrorists' bullets at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Bharat on December 28, 2005. Puri started his career at New Delhi's Hansraj College. Later, he shifted to IIT, Delhi and retired last year after a 20-year stint. He was also planning to bring out a journal on the Operations Research Society of India, of which he was one of the founding members.

.From a Newsletter - Random Acts of Kindness Foundation [newsletter@actsofkindness.org]: "I live in Huron, South Dakota. My son was in a car accident on his way to college in Mitchell, SD (about 50 miles away) He drives this every day. A snow plow pulled out in front of him and he crashed into it. The hospital flew him to Rochester, MN with severe injuries, before I was able to get to the hospital in Mitchell. After leaving the hospital, I went in search of a payphone to try to speak to him before he went into surgery. An impossible task in Mitchell. The payphones seem to have all disappeared. As I was explaining the problem to a lady at a restaurant, (I had stopped in with the hopes of finding a payphone in there) a woman and her parents (I have never seen these people before) pulled out three cell phones. The woman took the paper with the number out of my shaking hand and dialed the number, then sent me out into the hall so that I could speak to my son. They asked for NO money or what their names are but they were some of the sweetest people I have ever met. A true random act of kindness." - Yvette, South Dakota

Archana, 13, Bangalore, 18/01/06
.This took place in my brother’s class. My brother’s friends were fighting over who put the garbage into whose desk and how it possibly could have come there. They kept putting the little garbage into each other’s desks. Meanwhile a girl had been noticing this. After sometime she picked up the garbage and without saying anything she threw the garbage.

.My mother had taken my grandparents to Bangalore’s famous Kemp Fort. During their visit to Bangalore I was sick. Throughout their trip my grandfather kept thinking of the medicines that would make me feel better and he also bought one for me.

.I had been sick and for day I had not gone to school. My head kept aching if I stood under direct sunlight. I was ender direct sunlight at that moment and was telling my brother about this. Immediately my brother positioned himself in such a way that the sunlight didn’t hit my face.

.My grandmother was doing her training for teaching physically challenged (special) children. As she walked around she happened to notice one special child trying to eat his food. But it flowed out his mouth. Seeing this another special child who was walking alongside went up to him and lovingly tried to put the food into his mouth.

.My dad had to wash the car. He kept the bucket of water outside the gate and went in for some reason. He saw a dog licking water from the bucket and so went in and allowed the dog to lick out as much water as it wants and then started washing the car.

Archana, 13, Bangalore, 13/01/06
.My brother goes for music classes. After classes, the teacher called him aside. Meanwhile another student came running to the teacher and said, “Aunty, after every class I have seen you rolling up the mats all alone, so today I wanted to know if I could help.”

.For many days, we had a cancer patient in our house. He was here for a treatment. Cancer is a disease in which anyone undergoes a lot of pain. But this old man (cancer patient) did not complain even once. Not once did he show signs of irritation and got upset with any of us.

Murlidharan, Chennai, 13/01/06
My wife Sundari, my daughter Aruna and I at last boarded a posh air bus after employing all our smartness to get into it on that night of summer vacation and comfortably seated waiting to reach the hilly place Kodaikanal, the next day, which is called “Queen of Hills”.
We were all looking out of the bus once we seated to our comfortableness. That was a sad sight to see people moving and messing around involving in acts of agonies to get into the bus by hook or crook. We were quite upset by a couple with a young kid pleading with the service man of the bus to accommodate them as they needed to go urgently to attend an ailing patient who they claimed was in a critical state battling for the life. The service man could not accommodate their request.
My wife got very upset and asked me if I had any objection in leaving our seats to them and go back home. I readily agreed to her suggestion and we all returned home. Though we were back at home canceling our programme, we had boundless satisfaction of extending our helping hand to that couple in their time of trouble. We were sure that we would not have got the same satisfaction as we got in helping these couple out even if we made it. That was indeed turn out to be the best feeling of happiness and satisfaction we ever had!
My daughter Aruna, who was expecting the holiday time did not show even the slightest sign of unhappiness. That was really a good find of our daughter out of that incident. The grim looking face of that couple turned bright and happy once we offered them our most valued seats on the day. That was an incident that taught us how one can experience a unique happiness and satisfaction by act of kindness!

Archana, 13, Bangalore, 10/01/06
. This happened in my brother’s class. The teacher in the class was ready to give some homework to the class. Generally in a class it is a teacher who writes the homework on the board. As soon as the teacher said, ‘there is a homework…’, a boy quickly ran to the board and taking a piece of chalk was ready to write the homework on the board.

.My family was at table ready for dinner. My parents and myself got our chapattis and we began eating. My mother noticed that only we had been eating the chapattis and my brother had not eaten even one. Immediately as she had no chapattis on her plate she told my father to give half a chapatti to him. My father readily gave it away.

.Every afternoon my father is at his office. He has his lunch there. Before he goes for lunch he takes a cordless phone. But that afternoon he was delayed for his lunch and forgot to take the phone. His secretary noticed this and taking the phone ran up to my father and gave it to him.

.I was standing with my friends outside the class. A teacher suddenly called me. I went there. Then she told me, ‘please will you switch off the tube light its of no use now?’

.I was in my class and we were all collecting our notebooks. It was a big crowd. My friends and me were waiting. Noticing this one boy found one of our notebooks and gave it to us. We had not told him anything.

Archana, 13, Bangalore, 08/01/06
. Avinash recalls that once he was sleeping on the beanbag. When he got up he found a bedsheet on himself.

.My parents been to Iyer uncle’s place. There they were given some groundnuts to eat. But before they were given, uncle, with all love, removed the seed covering and then offered them.

.This incident occurred at Iyer uncle’s place. After a while my mother felt like having groundnuts placed there. So sister Janani understanding this, got up even before my mother could and gave it to her.

.Ramya and her friend were in the cyber café. There the three had to share two seats. Immediately Ramya’s friend gave up her seat. After a while the friend said that her legs are becoming numb. So Ramya immediately got up and gave up her seat.

Archana, 13, Bangalore, 07/01/06
.Avinash was in his picnic. There he was in a line to get his ice cream. In his class there is deaf boy. In their line the deaf boy was also standing. As soon as he saw avinash he immediately offered to him his place (the boy was standing in front of avinash). He, in his language told avinash that “cu..m staa..nd” explains avinash.

.When we were in ashram we noticed that Haridas uncle had been recording all our ramnam. He knew that we would like to listen to the ramnam, so he took the pains of recording it for us in a CD.

.The situation of this incident is very funny but the incident is good. Uncle was in the bathroom one evening. Father came up too him and at the door appa asked him how long would it take. Chithappa immediately offered the bathroom. Appa said its ok you can continue, but uncle said ‘no you go’. And this way they kept sacrificing their most important thing (at that moment- the toilet)

.Dad was supposed to go to Madugiri in morning. That morning mother got up early and gave dad packed food for three people. (dad, Narayan uncle and that madugiri uncle)

Archana, 13, Bangalore, 05/01/06
. This incident took place in my class. The girl sitting in front of me wanted a pencil. She asked everyone for one. But no one had it. Then she asked the person sitting in front of her. He picked up the pencil examined it for a second and then he gave it to her. The very next moment he also gave her a sharpener as he realized that the pencil was too blunt and cannot be used for writing while he could have just given to her as it is.

.When life is compared to a tube light-A tube light cannot be broken in the first few tries. But as we keep hitting it, it finally breaks and then once it breaks it is very easy to break the whole tube. Such is with life also. A bad habit will keep hitting us from outside, but our conscience will prevent it from coming in, but if we let the habit in, that would be the first shot and then for the bad habit to break us would not be difficult at all. So, be stronger than a tube light-from within.

.We were all at table waiting for our food. After a while payani brought the chapattis. Appa immediately told her to give the chapattis to amma as she had been waiting for longer.

.After all of us had finished our dinner we were all just talking. Avinash got up and collected all the plates and kept it for wash. He did not utter a word.

.The boys were playing outside on the streets. Suddenly bike just zoomed by and all heard a sound. Then they realized that it was the man’s wallet. They went up to him returned it him

Sneha, 10, Pune, 04/01/06
.One day when Appa told me to bring him a scissor, Parsuram Thata(granpa) was sitting beside. Before I got up, Tata rushed to the hall and bought the scissor. This action of Tata taught me that I am supposed to be much more faster.

.When we had come to Waynad, we had come to the value park. Just before we got down from the Sumo, athai told that she had forgotten her slippers. Immediatly Chandu Periappa (uncle) removed his slippers and gave it to Athai. And this was a touching moment for us. And the whole time Periappa walked with bare foot on all those stones and the mud.

.While coming to Waynad, in the Sumo I was not feeling ; and I felt that I should sleep. then I slept off. I fell on Shalini when I was sleeping. She put her hand on my neck and put my head on her neck. After sometime I felt like walmiting and I went out and walmited. Then before I came inside the Sumo, Shalini kept the tishoos ready. Then she wiped my mouth and my face. I was really comforted by her and I thanked her for taking such good care of me.

Archana, 13, Bangalore, 03/01/06
.We all had gone out for dinner for New Year. There amma noticed this couple with a child. The child was disturbing them very much. So amma offered to hold the child until the couple finished.

.Avinash was washing his hands with water flowing at full speed. So archana went up to him and told him that the tap should be opened all little slower so the water wasted would be lesser.

.That there was bakarwadi at home. There were only 2 left and archana amma and avinash were there to eat it. Amma took 1 and archana immediately was ready to give up hers avinash.

.Sunder mama was ready to go somewhere so he was about to pick the laptop bag. Even before he could Ranganathan uncle had picked it up and started walking.

.Appa was in office. He was giving every ones salary. After he had finished one aunty came to him told him that she had taken money the other day and appa had forgooten to calculate that. She was ready to let go her money.

Archana, 13, Bangalore, 29/12/05
.When we came back from ashram we stopped at Mangalore to meet Jayanti aunty. We went there and we ate heartily. Then when we finished aunty called amma separately into the kitchen. There she began to neatly pack some more food. Then she told amma this "I just packed some idlis and chutney, just in case there was a delay and you all could not eat but now that you have eaten, this can be used for your breakfast".

. Chitappa(Uncle) must have already noticed this, but still. When appa had come to wayanad, appa and cc(chandu chippa) went to some place to sign some papers.As soon as the papers that were to be signed were given appa was looking for a place to keep the papers. Immediately some aunty got up and gave uo her seat so appa could keep the papers there and sign it.

.This isnt an incident but some thing about what chippa(uncle) had written to us.The other day chippa had written to us about the sun and how it tirelessly keeps radiating its light. Archana was talking about this. She said that "the sun does not give up even if the clouds hinder it.Likewise even we should not give up, whatever may be the hinderances/abstructions in life.

Sneha, 10, Pune, 24/12/05
.Few days ago when I was playing with my friends in our society, a small puppy entered our playing area.It looked very weak. I guess it would be only few days old.It could not walk much and sat down in one corner.One of my friend ran home and got some biscuits and milk in a cup for that puppy.She loves pets.She fed that puppy with the milk and the puppy drank it happily.
After some time its mother came searching for it and carried it. We felt that the mother was trying to thank us . We all felt nice that the puppy went in the hands of its mother.

.One day I asked my friend--Tanya " What would you like to become when u grow big?" She replied doctor or journalist. I asked her ,"why doctor?" She said, so that I can serve the people.Then I asked her," why journalist?". To this she said, " These days in the news paper we do not find much of warnings or forecasts given in the right manner to avoid any disaster. So many people are killed due to floods, accidents etc. I will try to find out in advance if any calamity or disaster is to happen and will publish this news in the papers so that all the people are warned in advance and thus can save their lives". I appreciated her for these wonderful thoughts.

Ravi, Chennai, 09/12/05
.Today when we were returning to home from Mint bus stand we watched a visually challenged person with a stick is walking slowly towards bus stand which was bit away. Immediately we caught hold of his hand and asked where he wants to go, when we crossed the street with busy traffic, his bus arrived. We boarded him the bus exactly at right moment. He was so happy and waved his hands with full of gratitude.

Archana, 13, Bangalore, 08/12/05
One day we had a debate which was an inter class competition (in the auditorium). There were many mats spread so that the audience could sit. After it was over most of the children went back to their classes, but a few children stayed back and rolled all the mats without anybody telling them.

.One day a boy in class had borrowed a sharpener from Archana's friend. After sharpening Archana noticed that the boy removed all the sharpen dust and kept it inside the desk. After that he blew through the sharpener so that all the minute particles would go off. He then hit the sharpener hard so that the left over particles would fall off, then he blew it again to make sure it was perfectly clean and only then returned it back to her.

. There was an akhanda ramnam held in odakathur mutt,Bangalore. When it was over prasad was served to every one. Thatha(grandpa) had noticed a glass left in a corner of the hall. He picked it up and went and threw it in the dustbin.

.Ramesh mama had gone to pick up a few people from the station. He put one person in an auto and the others came with him. The person sitting in the auto did not know the place where he was supposed to go. Ramesh mama took some time to start the car but by then the auto had left. Mama went fast so that he could catch up but he couldn't. In tension he just took a right without seeing any side. A bike came hit the car, and the riders fell. The riders calmly picked up the bike and checked it. They noticed the mirror had broken. Normally a person would scream on top of his voice and shout at the other man but these people just requested mama to drive a little carefully next time.

Chandu, Wayanad, 06-12-05
.There is some work going on at the V-Set Value Park. One of the tractor drivers on his way with some material, slowed down and asked, ‘Didn’t you have tea?’ It really moved us. This is what we ought to have asked him – he was the one working hard!
.We made a telephone call to Swamiji. He started speaking to us – somehow we sensed he was busy in discussions. When we asked him he laughed. We again asked him whether we should call later. Only then he said, ‘ok, please call after 10 minutes’.

Chandu, Wayanad, 05-12-05
.In the evening as we returned from the VVP site, we drove the vehicle in. The garage gate was closed and before we could stop the vehicle, one member from the Old Age Home, who was resting till then, was walking down to open the gate. We had to request him to get back to his seat and finally do it ourself!

Chandu, Wayanad, 04-12-05
.This morning we were on our way out. The gate was not fully open. One member of the Manava Seva Home for the Aged, stepped up open the gate wider. As were able to manage with the present opening he stepped back.

Chandu, Wayanad, 03-12-05.
.We had gone to a shop at Kalpetta yesterday. After finishing when we drove out of the building through the alley, we observed that on the main road was parked a rickshaw blocking 25% of the way out. Initially we wondered why he could not have parked it behind or ahead of the alley. Just then the driver sprang out to look whether there was any traffic behind him. When the road was clear he guided us out! That is when we realized that it was actually a boon that he was there! Else, we would have found it difficult to see the traffic beyond the parked vehicles. This morning while recounting the incident, it struck us that we were able to see the positive side of the incident (during that time when it actually happened) only because of V-Set.

Chandu, Wayanad, 02-12-05
.We had a first time interaction with Sri Jayamohan, the elder brother of the Sri Sasi who manages the V-Set Value Estate at Wayanad, regarding taking a pump on hire during the construction period. He gave some valuable tips but did not stop there. Based on his experience, he shared with us what are the best possible ways to irrigate the plantation area – importantly, at the least cost. He further added that when the measures are initiated he would personally come to assist in the process. Service without expectation!

Chandu, Wayanad, 01-12-05
.Haridasji is the person from whom we had bought the land for V-Set Value Park and through whom we have been arranging some of the material for construction. Our relationship which one might have termed businesslike, to start with, has flowered into a wonderful relationship. Yesterday, we mentioned to him that we are off on a 10-12 day tour in December. Though his first reaction was ’10-12 days!!’, he quickly added in Malayalam, ‘don’t worry, I will take care of everything in your absence’. He is a businessman having enough work, we hadn’t asked him if he can help us out during this absence, but here he was, volunteering to do all that he could!

Chandu, Wayanad, 30-11-05
.Yesterday we had gone to town and were about to park our vehicle in an angle facing the footpath. Just as we were inching forward, a young man waved his hand and advised us to stop – lest we hit the pavement stone! He further advised us, through signals, that it would be better if we slightly reversed the vehicle. We were really moved!

Chandu, Wayanad, 29-11-05
.On our recent tour we had visited Anantpur and Bangalore besides many other places. We met in Anantpur a loving, elderly lady by name Susheelamma (for the first time). We got to spend a little time with her during the few hours stay in the town. After Anantpur we reached Bangalore and she too joined in this trip. At Bangalore we had to wash and fold accumulated clothes. There was quite a pile. When we went into the room, we found that all clothes had been neatly folded. When we asked Sunder, he said that Susheelamma came into the room and told him that she would take care of the clothes. Though he requested her not to do this, she politely refused and went ahead with the task!

Chandu, Wayanad, 28-11-05
.This morning Mr Johny, of Jyothi Nivas Charitable Society, who looks after mentally challenged people, visited us. During the few minutes he was with us we wanted to share with him the last piece of sweet which we had. He requested us to break it into two saying that his driver friend was sitting in the car that they came in. From the two pieces he selected the smaller one for himself! When we pointed out this fact (that he was taking the smaller piece), he smilingly said that he had noticed it! As soon as the driver came in, he joyfully told him to take the other half.

.As we watched the sun this morning, it struck his of its 100% commitment to its ideal of giving light and heat to all. In the morning, it was very cloudy and the sun was not allowed to penetrate the thick black clouds. Yet, moderate light and warmth was there all around. They say, when we aim for the sky, we can reach the tree top. Similarly, the sun could not deliver itself 100% but nevertheless it gave, to the best possible extent.

Chandu, Wayanad, 27-11-05
We had been to Ramakrishna Vidyashala in Mysore to discuss about the Camp strategy with Swami Muktidanandaji. It was a very busy day with so many people storming in and out. Amidst all this, we observed that Swamiji was calm and unruffled and did all that was necessary for each one of them in a most loving and caring manner. To the extent that one group was leaving, he went right out of the building, was with them till they got into the car and drove off.

Avinash (10), Bangalore , 01-07-05
.In the afternoon, ten year old Avinash felt like having some mangoes and so asked his grand-mother for it. She quietly washed and cut the mango into pieces and offered it to him. It was a practice at his houses that during dinner one good incident was to be shared by all members of the house. When his turn came, this was his value action for the day . This stunned others in the family. Here is a thing which perhaps most mothers and grand-mothers would have done all their lives. Almost always it would have been taken for granted. But this little boy got the whole picture and took courage to mention it. He even added that the grand-mother had done this without expecting anything in return!

Nirupama, Chennai, 22-04-05
In the early mornings I go for a walk inside our huge campus. Today I happened to see some glass pieces. Normally I just pick them up to throw in the dustbin. But there were many minute pieces which couldn't be picked up. And then I found they were scattered all over the path. My usual course of action would have been to call our building helper to sweep that place. But this time I decided differently (prompted by a recent observation of a V-Set mentor). I went upstairs brought broom and a tray to collect the broken glass pieces. I started collecting them, and suddenly I was bewildered to see at least four to five people who were the regular walkers by my side. They enquired about the same and I explained to them. One of them commented this is a real service to society. Then all of them started collecting. By then our Flats Association President who is also a regular walker arrived at the scene. He immediately called for our helper and arranged for further clearing of that place. Then we all introduced/chatted for a while, who otherwise wouldn't have had a chance to know each other even though we are all regular walkers for years. I hope from tomorrow onwards we smile and greet each other.