A THOUSAND FIBERS CONNECT US WITH OUR FELLOWMEN

 



“We cannot live only for ourselves;

a thousand fibers connect us with our fellowmen.”

Herman Melville

 

I had taught Simmi Kochhar when she was a T.Y. B.Com student. It was some 36/37 years ago. Soon after graduating, she married her sweetheart, Manoj Balwani, and began to be called Rashmi Simmi Balwani.

Simmi came from a family of academicians. Her mother was a school teacher and father wrote for leading newspapers on financial subjects. On the other hand, Manoj came from a business family. Soon after their marriage, Simmi got involved with Manoj’s family business. They raised their two children, providing them with fine education. Meanwhile, Simmi ventured into new businesses and succeeded quite impressively.

Then, came the Pandemic and the lockdown… Simmi started reaching out to the helpless people, especially children, from the nearby slum areas. She, with the help of many volunteers, went around the slums with food packets, medicines and groceries. This was to motivate her to involve fully with her NGO – ‘Enrich Lives Foundation’…

Then on, Simmi spent her time, energy and resources on her new baby. She handed over the reins of her business to her foreign-educated son, Akshay… Manoj continued to focus on his family business…

Simmi continued to nurse her NGO – as envisioned, to enrich the lives of the underprivileged children…




(Photoes from the recently held public-awareness exhibition by ELF)


Lately, Simmi had approached me with a request to help these underprivileged kids with whatever I was good at: some self-developmental things… become responsible in life, build self-confidence, speak and write well (especially in English) etc. Simmi knew my own background… and she was quite sure, that I would be in a better position to understand and mould these kids in this respect.

I have stated helping the kids… There is tremendous amount of satisfaction when you spend your  time and energy on such kids. You never know what is in store for each of these kids… You never, really, know.

It takes years – and some real inner upheaval – to realize the truth, that our own material success – money, name, fame and position – is not the only purpose in our lives. As Herman Melville says, “There are a thousand fibers connecting us with our fellowmen.”

If Simmi, through her own fibers, is inclined to connect with her fellowmen (the underprivileged children),  you and I are inclined to connect with our fellowmen, through our own fibers. But, certainly, we cannot live for our own selves…



Did Jesus Christ refer to these ‘Thousand Fibers’ when He said, “The Kingdom of God is within you”?

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic’s: 1. Pixabay 2. Hitesh Rupani

 

Video: Ranjith Robinhood

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MUTHU KODI KAWARI HADA

Image
Pic.; Ashwin Mohta M y Hindi was always bad. It still is. One reason for this was, that they introduced Hindi for us only in 6 th standard. Or, was it in 8 th ? I don’t remember… I only remember struggling to write and read… leave alone speak! But, I loved Hindi movies, and, strangely, I could understand the dialogues and the lyrics of the songs… I used to sing those songs (of course when no one was around me!) as if I was the lyricist… One of the songs was a very funny one. ‘Muthu Kodi Kawari Hada’. It was from Mehmood’s super-hit comedy – ‘Do Phool’. I was a 15-year-old high-school boy when I had heard that song (not watched the movie). I could grasp the meaning of two words – ‘Muthu Kodi’… which meant ‘Give kiss’… But, what ‘Kawari Hada’ meant, I have no clue till date! It was just like ‘Why this kolaveri di’... Yes, why ask? Simply enjoy the beats… And, the beats are great… The rest... Who cares? Really! So, whatever bit of Hi...
Read more

SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

Image
“I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. I laugh when I hear that people go on pilgrimage to find God.” - Kabir T here is a universal human weakness – and it dates back to the days of fallen civilizations – and it is: to place people on pedestal and trying to be smothered by them, feel loved and protected in their company… worship them as mentors, heroes,  gurus, Mahagurus and Satgurus… Make these mortals larger-than-life cut-outs, worship them as flawless, pure and give one’s all… And, then, ‘take’ everything from them blindly as divine… Give everything to them blindly… Eventually, what happens is:  one more dangerous bondage… What was supposed to free you now becomes a new prison… It’s sad to see this happen! T his room, where I am writing this Post, has no image of any deity. I have no image of any Guru or Master around me… My question is: “Am I not able to feel close to Almighty God?  How ...
Read more

"HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS NOT A FAIRY-TALE... IT IS A CHOICE"

Image
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone… It has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” – Ursula K. Le Guin,  The Lathe of Heaven T welve years ago, when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got married, the world began to hail the couple as ‘Brangelina’. It became a fashion for couples around us to call themselves so… Norbert and Teresa renamed them as ‘Noresa’…  Amol and Vishaka baptized their relationship as ‘Amoshka’… and, Salman and Nargis became ‘Salgis’! I and my wife, too, got tempted to re-christian our matrimonial relationship as ‘Germa’... That is, Gerald and Anima, to be precise! B efore I proceed any further, let me make it very clear, here… that, I have no business to judge on the break-up of Brad Pitt and Angelina’ Jolie’s marriage. I have no inclination to go into why, how, what when etc behind it… The couple ‘chose’ to split. And, it’s their choice… Only they know how good or bad… how joyful or pain...
Read more
THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...