Christmas Tale II: Girl of Hope

How many people do you know are genuine cribber? They would crib at anything and everything. All my friends and relatives at least know one such person: me. I have been cribbing about a lot of things in my short life. Thus when I witness or hear of any incident which reflects an exactly opposite behavior from other people I cherish them. I admire people who just do not blame everything but initiate actions however small they may be to improve the prevailing situation/ condition.

This is another small incident which I read in a newspaper and it touched me. Bihar, according to many who wish to be guided by media articles only, remains a land of miseries. It is true to some extent; obviously media cannot fabricate everything out of nowhere. Thus you would find people at the doorsteps of the Chief Minister ‘Nitish Kumar’, presenting their problems in order to get some relief from him. In his ‘Janta Darbar’ the Chief Minister listen to the grievances of common people and tries to address them appropriately. Hence you would expect a long queue of aggrieved people to his residence on the days of ‘Janta Darbar’. This incident becomes important because this time in the midst of people seeking hope was a girl who brought hope to the people of this struggling state.

The girl argued with the guards outside to finally meet with the Chief Minister and presented him with a bag full of 1001 Re. 1 coins that she had collected from her school towards flood relief operations in Bihar. I have written about the Bihar flood in an appeal to mobilize people and was happy to see that some of my friends initiated action of collecting funds in their organization for the cause. I thought I had done my part. However this small contribution by that girl, Sneh Lata, and her friends of Raja Bigaha Middle School in Dhanarua in Patna district dwarfed the contributions of many. The contribution of just Rs. 1001 is important because the students of this school are generally from economically weaker section of the society. They do not get hefty pocket money as some of the privileged section of students get. They collected whatever they got and saved over this period and contributed for a cause which is social in nature. This reflects a lot on the human spirit of people in our country. Humanity still prevails in this time of war-talks, terrorism, economic slide and almost chaotic life of which we have become a part. The act also becomes important for a state like Bihar which is looking to catch the revival bus as it may inspire youth to contribute positively to the society.

This incident also comes under the spirit of Christmas or for that matter any other festival: Care for every human being, share the joy and sorrow and finally work for the betterment of human lives (for PETA people: You can include animals too).

P.S: I wish that one day I would transform from a cribber to a person who initiates action for improvement of the existing situation. It is to be seen whether this wish would come true in this lifetime.