Archive for November, 2015
GREATNESS COMES FROM WITHIN
I have come across a number of people till now who have made an impression that has shaped me. There have been people who have stirred and shaken me by their largely wicked behaviour and yet at the same time, there have been some who have given me everything in terms of inspiration.
It all starts with my parents, my siblings, my wife and also my son and not to forget the in-laws. The list of people also has to include friends, colleagues, students and also unknown strangers who at some time or the other have shown me the true meaning of greatness. However, it would be narrow to restrict my choice to members of the family.
I was travelling on the train and since it was raining outside, the windows were closed. The fans were also switched off. I being on the middle berth felt uncomfortable and pushed the glass window up to check the status of the rain. As soon as I slid my palm out, the window fell on my palm with a thud and I felt excruciating pain and feared the worst. I went to the wash basin and under the light I saw the wound and blood was all over my clothes. I found the railway security personnel and asked for help but they expressed their inability to get the first aid box from the guard of the train in the night and that too in a ‘sensitive’ part of the track. I tied a wet handkerchief to stop the flow of the blood and just waited for the sun to rise.
In the morning, I gave a ring to a friend and narrated my plight.He promised to help even when situated hundreds of kilometres away. He rang me and gave me the number of his friend who was given the responsibility of doing the needful. The train was running late by more than two hours at I reached Sambalpur and I met this gentleman who had with him the first aid kit. He took me to the office of the Station Superintendent and I was met with a doctor. The doctor gave me a painkiller and examined the wound. He assured me about the bone of the finger not having sustained any damage. An antiseptic ointment was applied and a bandage covered the wound and I was asked to resume my journey. It was in the evening that I reached my place and went to a doctor who put stitches on the wound. In this case, there are two people who appeared great-one my friend and greater was his friend who was a complete stranger and yet crossed all boundaries when it came to extending help.
Many years ago, I went to a remote village during the time of elections. The team was put up in a school building. We had to cook our own food and we asked the villagers for utensils. A team member had with a battery light-torch that was purchased only a few days for the village had no electricity. As we were leaving the village after the polling, the team member decided to give away the new torch to a widow who lived near the school. It was highly unlikely that those two people would ever meet again in life and yet the action was truly great.
But there is this one person who in my humble opinion is undeniably #madeofgreat as far as I am concerned. This gentleman comes from a family that is very closely associated with the history of my town. The surname is something that is recognised almost throughout the state of Odisha. Despite the lineage, he is always simple and humble. My first experience was when he was a colleague of my father and later as my teacher and finally as my colleague for a period of more than fifteen years. There have been many occasions when my family has been helped by the actions of this man when other alternatives did not exist. It is not with respect to my family that he can be called great.
His greatness extended to all the colleagues. He extended a helping hand to anyone even when not being asked for. In the college, he shouldered many a responsibility without actually claiming any of the credit that he deserved. He once gave his car to enable a sick colleague go to a place over two hundred kilometres away for treatment.
Now after his superannuation, he is firmly into politics and is part of the municipality. Someday he hopes to follow in the footsteps of his father who was the Chairperson. The college has in the recent period taken advantage of his new position.
There have been times when I did not agree with certain views and actions of this gentleman but that does not in any way influence my assessment of his greatness. It is not the money nor the fame or the popularity that motivates him to help others. It is just a part of his DNA that makes him truly great and a real inspiration.
I am not humble enough nor selfless enough to follow in the footsteps of this great man.
This is my effort as part of the great contest put up by Indiblogger and Tata Motors to highlight the remarkable collaboration between the incomparable Lionel Messi and Tata Motors. The collaboration between the great footballer and Tata Motors is found at madeofgreat.tatamotors.com
In the end, I would like the readers of this post to answer the following question “What do you think of Tata Motors’ association with Lionel Messi?” The best answer given in the comments section of this post shall be rewarded with a gift voucher courtesy, amazon.in
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