Help Me
It was a cold winter night- typical shivery 31st of December, in Lucknow. We were all watching the all night long comedy shows that welcome the new year, warmly huddled up in our bed. The TV anchor was just making a joke about the cold weather, when the call bell rang. Me, the eternal scapegoat, was made to go and answer the bell, cursing the person who had come at this ungodly hour. I open the door, to be greeted by a mournful wailing, and I see a man holding a small baby boy- (sleeping, unconscious??). His tearful eyes, and that soul stirring look, melt my young(14 year old heart).
"Bhaiya ji, help me, my son needs a hospital. He is suffering from pneumonia, and needs to be treated immediately. Please give me some money, anything will help. Please, I beg you, save my son."
I stood there, as if frozen in time. Here is a 40 odd year old man, literally on his knees, bowing down to an eight year old, begging for mercy. I rushed inside, telling him to wait for me. "Dad, there is a man who's son needs help, please help, give them money" and restlessly looked at him. My dad gave a wry smile, and said, go and close the door, he's a fake. Do'nt worry, these guys just try to con us!
I was stuck in a dilemma. I was inclined to listen to my father, but that voice, that pain, that ethos had gripped me. I stood there, thinking what to do. Seconds later, my young mind decided to listen to my innocuous heart. I went to my room, took out my pocket money, a "LARGE" amount of 137 rupees, and gave it to him. And smiled- YES, I had saved a life.
Two winters went by, this incident went down the lanes of my memory. Another winter night, I was at my uncle's place. We had just finished dinner, when my attention was caught by a sudden noise outside. I went outside to see what it was all about, when I saw that same man- this time holding a small girl- (unconscious, sleeping?). I went to him, angry, heart broken, and asked him what happened to the boy.
Guess what, the man ran away. So well, I was conned. I have never actually given any money to anyone, barring a few obvious ones. Why should I ?? This incident left me wondering, that what will happen when someone really needs help. How will I now help someone, who is really in pain?? How do you respond, when someone comes to you, and says, "Help me".
We always wonder whether we get the real picture when we meet someone. The truth is, we will never know. And more often than not, we may actually end up getting the opposite. But why should that stop us from helping someone? Remember the other times you helped people. How did that make you feel? That smile you gave on another's face, that satisfaction in your heart. Treasure it. You have nothing to lose, only gain. You end up getting more meaning in your life. As for whether the person genuinely needs help or not, we can't always predict that. That's God's job. Let Him take care of that.
ReplyDeleteI am confused. Are you 8 years old or 14? :P
ReplyDeleteEven i have faced this situation,
ReplyDeleteOnce in a market, a poor boy came to me while i was shopping. He must be about 7-8 years old. Its not that i haven't seen a little kid beg before(one of the problems in India),but his innocence and his way of saying"Bhaiya bhukh lag rai hai baut, kuch paise de do" made my heart weak.I gave him 20 rs(which might be a fortune to him). Then i went on shopping. While returning to my place i saw same boy with a group of his mates smoking cigarettes.
But I think one should be careful and keep on helping with a goodwill. It may be that for every imposter you help you might help five in genuine need of it. :)