The Charity Ride

The Wikipedia meaning of charity “The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need, as a humanitarian act. The word humanitarian is important. Means showing ethics of kindness, benevolence and sympathy towards another human.

A week ago I took an auto riskshaw to my office like I do every day. As soon as I sat inside I immediately felt the difference. The passenger seat and the driver seat were divided by a transparent sheet with compartments on it. And what I saw was a big print out saying “Social library”. It had 9 compartments which had newspapers for the passengers to read while they reach their destination. I was stunned. To add to my surprise there was a “Limca Book of Records Certificate” hanging which said “Santosh Gaikwad, has been awarded by the Limca Book of records for providing  free rides to more than 20,000 physically challenged commuters in his vehicle since 2004”. I couldn’t believe what my eyes were reading. I thought of picking up a newspaper for myself and then realized that there were some more quotes saying “Quit Alcohol”, “Save the girl child”, “Quit smoking” and “Stop HIV Aids”.

I was lost in thoughts .I thought if an Auto driver can think and do so much for the society then why can’t other people? People like me and other working professionals who earn much better and also who lead a good life.  

Soon after reaching office I started researching about the Auto driver. His inspiration to help people was his grandmother’s cancer. He saw the struggle she faced when her leg was cut off by a surgical operation due to her disease.

Here is the link of Mr. Santosh Gaikwad’s story.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/navi-mumbai/Ghansoli-auto-driver-featured-in-Limca-Book-of-Records/articleshow/31749257.cms

Charity after all means “Helping those in need”, help can be in any form which an individual can afford. Like Mr. Santosh Gaikwad couldn’t afford to help monetarily but he had the courage to help in whatever way he could through this means of occupations. We all are so busy running behind our own cravings and passions that we tend to forget about our family and friends too. So thinking about our society is out of question. But isn’t it charity when you talk to your loved ones when they need you, helping a stranger find a route, helping your spouse with chaos, keeping our work place clean, taking care of public property, talking to someone to distress him/her, and simply holding a smile on your face. We can do these simple noble acts everyday without compromising on the daily routine.

Some people feel that just donating money is enough which saves their time and help them gain pride in their social circle. Our duty doesn’t get over by funding/sponsoring. Because it’s not about how much big Cheque you donate to an NGO, it’s not about how much religious you are, it’s not about how much money you donate in the donation boxes. It’s about realizing the Humanitarian Act. A feeling of oneness that we belong to the society and have to pay back. A feeling that should be within ourselves. In the world of mechanical humans it’s necessary to realize that we have see and treat each one as Human.