World Kindness Day: Whisperers of kindness away from home

CHENNAI: Perhaps the world is dark only because we perceive it to be. As we celebrate World Kindness Day today, DT Next speaks to people, who give us a first hand account of some random acts of kindness while travelling, which proves that kindness transcends all boundaries, and what transpires is the victory of benevolence over ignorance

“I search for them in every stranger I travel with”

Everybody has that one incident that makes them fall in love with travelling. My story is a decade old. I am a travel and wildlife photographer, and capturing a snow leopard has been on my bucket list for years. For that, I decided to travel to Spiti, where I met Kesang and UC who changed my view of travel. I reached Kibber, where a long-time friend, Namkha, was my guide. I did spot the majestic beast, but my situation turned sour as I fell down while trekking with a broken shoulder. What’s worse, I realised I had no money on me. The injury had worsened and the snowfall had intensified. Namkha stood by my side and made sure I reached Kaza safely, where I was taken care of for the following weeks. It was the first time that I felt at home in a place so far away from home. From doctors appointments, to cooking meals, they did it all.

 With the weather condition worsening, it was recommended that I head home. I boarded the bus leaving a piece of my heart behind.

But as the weather would have it, my bus broke down and I was stranded in a village, 10kms before Nako. I called up Kesang who pointed me towards an elderly woman. I called her didi, who helped me find my way back to the plains. It is because of her that I am here telling my story today.

-Mohamed Javeed

“She chose not to leave my side”

I have been travelling solo since 2018. This was on my 14 day trip to the north of India. My first stop was Shimla where one of my classmates had arranged accommodation in his friend's house in Hiun village, where no one was residing. He called up his friends, who saw the condition of the room was not favourable for me to stay. They requested me to wait outside as they set up the whole place for me.

After visiting the Jakhu Temple and Chadwick falls, I decided to visit Kufri the next day. I reached a bus stop from where I had to take a bus which would take me to the main bus stand of Shimla. Due to some protests at the time, buses in that particular route did not come. The commuters themselves were discussing the issues, which I failed to understand as I couldn't speak Hindi. There I met Anitha ma’am who spoke English. She used to work as a stenographer at Shimla. Few of us started to walk towards the Shimla bus stop. Anitha ma’am was sharing how much she admired solo travellers. When we had finally reached the stop, it was time to bid goodbye. The last bus to my place was already late. I neither got a cab nor a place for my budget. Wandering around, I heard a familiar voice asking, “Why don’t you join us?” Yes, it was her. Anitha ma’am took me home where I received wonderful hospitality from her parents and kids.

After a year I received a WhatsApp invitation from her for their house warming. Anita ma’am is one who doesn't like to be active over a mobile phone, but we often exchange our regards for each other from time to time.

-Chithirai Valli K

“He shined the brightest through the darkness”

Saravana, and I are certified adventure travelers trained from NCC. We are avid travelers and often ride long distances on our bikes. One day, my teammate and I were heading to Kanthalloor from Chennai, which is around a 12 hours journey. By the time we were approaching Tiruchy, it was about midnight, and we had a room booked near Dindigul, about 100 kilometers away. As we aimed to reach, just 16 kilometers down the road, we heard a sudden noise from the bike – it was a punctured tire. We were stranded in the middle of two villages, surrounded by darkness. With a fully loaded bike and no chance to move, we were stuck because the tire wasn’t just flat; it was beyond repair.

Our attempt at finding online services were in vain as nothing was available at that hour. Out of nowhere, a man appeared on a bike from the opposite direction. At first, we were a bit scared. But he simply asked us what had happened. When we explained our situation, he told us to wait for him.

To our surprise, after about 30 minutes, he returned with a mechanic and his toolkit. We were relieved as we weren't expecting him to actually return. The mechanic explained that we wouldn’t be able to find a replacement tire until morning. He suggested we remove our luggage and rest at his workshop for the night. With two bikes, they towed ours to the workshop, made space for us to sleep, and ensured we were comfortable. The man who had helped us simply said “Take care” and left. He had appeared out of nowhere and guided us to safety.

-Prasanna Venkatesan