Anyway, to talk about one such experience of mine, I need to travel to a 10 year-old me. This happened when my parents and I were on a vacation in Matheran, a hill station in Maharashtra. After a certain point at this hill station, vehicles aren't allowed to maintain the pristine surroundings- so one can always find a horde of luggage helpers near the entrance.
My parents and I carried our luggage ourselves as we didn't have much with us (must've been around 2 bags, 15 kilos in total) and we had to turn down several of the porters. It's sad to see them living a hand-to-mouth existence by quoting prices as low as 40 Rupees for carrying luggage over 2-3 kms. Anyway, we did turn down many of them, managing to walk past many of them without answering to their beckoning- or so we thought, until an old man offered to carry our luggage.
This man- a certain Mr. Bhalerao (the fact that I remember his name is reason enough to believe why this experience was important to me), was around 65 years of age. He was a resident of Matheran and he had to resort to carrying luggage as he was deemed unfit for any job due to his old age. He quoted as low as 20 Rupees and pleaded us to let him carry our luggage. It wasn't the price that enticed my parents; instead, it was the perseverance of a cheerful old man that drew their attention. Little did I know that then and I thought it was wrong asking him to do such laborious work at an old age. I decided to carry my own luggage (which was a mere 5 kilos) as I didn't want to burden the old man although I remember him asking me, in vain, to hand it over to him. He was old but he was surprisingly very strong for a man aged 65 (that's my guess of his age, btw).
During our 2 km walk to our lodging, my parents chatted with him- asking about his life, why he worked, why he quoted such a low price et al. He told us that he needed money to support his married daughter and her 2 children as his son-in-law was a town drunkard and didn't have a job of his own. The old man had to quote a low price as no one would hire him at the going rate- 40 Rupees, especially because he was way older compared to the other 30-somethings. I was touched to hear the old man's plight but nowhere did I see any kind of regret or sorrow in him. He himself said that one couldn't do much about one's sorrows and all one can do is try his/her best to keep oneself and others happy.
Bamm!!- my first lesson about life: Never stop working hard and draw inspiration from your family- be it their words of advice or be it their impediments. There are many others like Mr. Bhalerao who have such problems at home but still work hard to make ends meet- to keep their families happy. We should consider ourselves fortunate to have led much easier lives. So whenever we face any hiccups in life- we must realise that there are people who lead lives much complicated compared to ours and that the latter still manage to maintain happiness in their lives.
We finally reached home and my father handed him the quoted 20 Rupees. The old man thanked us a lot and walked away. He seemed to be content- after all some money is better than nothing. I felt sad for the old man and I was kind of angry with my parents at this point as I felt that they didn't do much in spite of knowing about the old man's condition. But I also did realise that I came from a middle-class family and that my parents worked really hard throughout their lives to make sure that I get good education, I have access to good books, toys, etc.- so I felt that we couldn't do much for him anyway.
But the very next moment, my father did something that surprised me. He ran up to the old man, who was walking away contently (I think), and offered him a 100-Rupee note (I also remember my father telling him not to spend it on alcohol). The old man, himself, was astonished as this was a completely unexpected gesture from my father. My father also asked him to come inside and have some water to quench his thirst. I still remember the look in that old man's eyes then.
Bamm!!- my second lesson about life. Compassion. There's always time for a gesture that can change the life of another person- even if it is just for a moment. We all have to die someday- some as great people, some may be brilliant but may go unnoticed and the others might even lead plain average lives- whatever may be the case, wouldn't it make you feel happy throughout your life that you did something good for someone? People say hope is lost on humanity. I would beg to differ- I feel it is upto us to show compassion to those who are in need, not expecting a favour in return. I know it sounds philosophical but we do owe mankind this, after millions of years of evolution.
There's a lot I've learnt from my experiences but my parents have always had a major impact on my life- this is one such example. The old man happens to be another person who has had a major impact on my life.
On an ending note, my father asked Mr. Bhalerao to come to carry our luggage when we were heading back home- to Mumbai. The old man was there, sharp, at the predetermined time. At the end, my father handed him another 100 and a box of chikkis (sweets) that we bought in Matheran.
Sorry for the long story but I believe in writing detailed accounts- that's the best way to help the readers understand my point of view.
Read other related questions on Quora:
- What was the incident when a phone call or text message changed your life?
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- What are some life changing-incidents that made you take life more seriously?
from Quora http://ift.tt/2gtgcKW
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