My friend Dhileepan Nair had shared an inspiring incident about ordinary people displaying stellar qualities in these testing times of COVID 19.
Rotary Club of Heritage Mysuru were distributing food packets regularly to the needy and they noticed a frail old lady approach them hestatingly. The Rotarians assuming she was waiting for food,handed a packet to her.
She politely refused and introduced herself as Kamalamma, a state govt, pensioner and said she’d been observing them distributing food for over a month and offered ₹500 out of her MONTHLY PENSION of ₹600 as her contribution to their worthy efforts. The stupefied Rotarians requested her to retain it,especially as these were trying times but she insisted and as a mark of respect for her selfless gesture, accepted it.
Their exact words-
“Friends at that moment we felt she is no less than the Tatas, Ambanis, Azim premji, Narayan Murthy etc as she was parting with 90% of her earnings..”
“We could witness the magnanimity of a mother’s heart , however poor she might be.. YES WE WERE TRULY HUMBLED”
Satish Acharya, a leading cartoonist paid tribute to her exemplary act in his own way and both the news and his cartoon went viral.
We think one one needs a title,wealth or power to influence or get things done. But a commoner like Smt Kamlamma had the right intent and a heart that went out to the less fortunate and look at the cascading influence she has on a whole lot of us!
I had posted the accompanying picture of ‘GUPTA & DAUGHTERS’ on my Facebook page which was shared by an unusually high number of friends and had one of the highest ‘likes’ for the post. Guptaji demonstrated by DOING what most of us wish we had done.
In another incident,Smt Lokamani of East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh after receiving her monthly salary of ₹3500,bought soft drinks for police constables on duty in torrid heat. This act was captured on a cellphone by a passer-by and shared on social media and rightfully went viral.
In another viral video,the DGP of Andhra Pradesh,Mr Gautam Sawang IPS ( a native of Arunachal Pradesh) thanks Smt Lokamani with folded hands and in fluent Telugu. A strong signal to us about the power of authenticity,empathy,care and concern as essential factors of influence.
The severity of Covid 19 has fuelled massive layoffs across sectors with journalism being affected significantly. It’s very common to hear journals getting sacked without notice or reason. In this grim scenario, this tweet by a freelancer Shweta Bajaj has warmed many hearts –
@ShwetaBajaj So many journalists have lost their jobs. I don’t have a big set up but can afford 2 more people in my team. If you are a multimedia journalist/cameraperson/editor who has lost his/her job in the middle of this pandemic, please DM.
And here’s a signboard message in front of a small eatery in Nepal, which once again proves that all it needs is the right attitude and however small the gesture maybe it
All these incidents remind of these immortal words of William Wordsworth in ‘To a Child’
“SMALL service is true service while it lasts: Of humblest Friends,bright Creature! scorn not one
The Daisy, by the shadow that it casts, Protects the lingering dew-drop from the Sun.”
Hi Chendil Sir,
From the first day, I met you in person to date when I read your blog. I’m amazed by your content and the delivery with keen importance to the subject.
Yes, Kamalamma is a great soul and there are many unsung heroes in our society who are better than greater perceived heroes of our times. Let’s celebrate everyone and encourage act of kindness at our homes as well. Thanks for writing about them, this lets us know that kindness is still valued in this world.
Thank you, Bramarika. You are kind. There are so many ‘Kamalammas’ who continue to serve sans limelight or expectations.