Yesterday I met a young man, about 25 years old; his name was Ajay. He had an untreated wound on the sole of his left foot which was wrapped in just a piece of cloth. He was also carrying a small bag, which was probably all he had. He was a migrant worker and homeless. He asked me if I could offer him any job. I asked him where he lived, and he replied, right there on the road.
I wanted to take him in my car to a hospital to treat the wound, but due to fear of coronavirus, I was a bit hesitant. At that very moment, a rickshaw appeared. The rickshaw puller was very old, probably around 70. My first thought was, why did he have to work at that age. I asked the rickshaw puller to take Ajay to the nearby nursing home. Since it was a hot afternoon, I purchased three bottles of a cold drink on my way to the hospital, and we all had one each when we finally met at the nursing home. There, Ajay got the right treatment and now had a proper bandage covering his wound.
In the hallway of the nursing home, I gave him Rs.1000 and told him to take care of himself and suggested that he should initially start as a fruit vendor. I asked him to take a loan, get a trolley (thela), buy some fruits, and start this business. I also gave him directions to the local subzi mandi. I gave him my phone number on a slip of paper and told him that once everything was set up, he should call me, and I would repay all his loan in one go. He got emotional.
I told him that the cash I gave him wouldn’t last forever, so he should start his business ASAP. He nodded.
Finally, I went to the old rickshaw puller and gave him Rs.1000 as well. He didn’t count the money, but took everything and put it in his pocket.
I am waiting for Ajay’s call now. I hope he sets up his business and calls me.
Takeaway
We are just the medium. The doer is someone else. Let’s become a useful instrument in nature’s hand.
~ Ashish Anand
This is a kindness story written by a Black Lotus user in the app. Check out more about on www.blacklotus.app