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
