AN OLD TV AND SOME OLD FOOTWEAR













“The only barrier that's blocking us from living an abundant life is
our unwillingness to share what we have”
― Dragos Bratasanu

When I was closing my office around 7:30 last evening, my friend Vivek, who lives in the same building where my office and classes are situated, called me up... “Sir, I will be going to your side (towards my residence)… Please wait for a minute… I will drop you.”

In a few minutes, Vivek was ready to pick me up. He was accompanied by his 14-year-old son, Vyomesh… They both were tucking inside their small Maruti car (on the back seat) their TV. It was an old box-type TV.

“Are you taking it for repairs?” I asked Vivek

“No sir, it is 15-year-old, but in a fantastic condition… We all love this TV,” Vivek said.

“Then, where are you taking this?” I asked.

Vivek looked at his son and smiled…

“Sir, we are taking it to our maids’ house,” explained Vyomesh, “We just bought our new TV, today.”

“How nice!” I exclaimed.

The new 32-inches flat-TV deserved my compliment, though… I was saying “How nice” for the ‘spirit of giving’, which my friend, Vivek, was inculcating in his young son… Not just giving it away to their maid, but personally delivering it to her place, somewhere in one of the slum pockets!

Vivek had asked the maid to wait outside my colony gate. When she spotted the car, and as I got off the car, I could see the joy in her face!

“It means a lot to me,” I use this expression too often. But, last night, I could sense the power of that expression from a very, very  close distance!

Giving our old unwanted stuff may seem ‘no big deal’ to most of us. But, then, we don’t give our old stuff easily and gladly the way Vivek and his 14-year-old were doing, last night…

The Wise say, what is lying in our houses, unused for over a year or two, should not be there in our houses. Well, at least most of the unused stuff should be given away to the needy… and it should be given away gladly!

When I watched the latest two films in the cinema halls, I have come across this public interest ad… I did not know, that the simple-and-lean-looking young man in that ad was Shiyansh Bhandari. I happened to check more about his organization – ‘GreenSole’… 

 Look, how a simple idea can catch fire when propelled by good intent, compassion and determination! Shriyansh, who graduated from Mumbai’s Jai Hind College, and his friend, Ramesh, one day, woke up to the reality of millions of unfortunate fellowmen of our country who walked barefoot, everyday and suffered from innumerable problems… The duo decided to collect the old footwear, get them refurbished… and pass them on to the unfortunate fellow humans!










I was so moved by this story… that, I am yet to get over the guilt of keeping my (my wife’s and sons too) old footwear and other stuff at home for years on!

I know I am not alone in this!

Often, I console myself saying “We all help others in our own way.” Yes, we do… Acts such as Vivek’s and GreenSole’s are being done by us in our own way, too… I agree…

Still… Still… Still.


GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: Anil Bedi
Videos: YouTube

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