Narrate a story from your own life experience which reflects kindness to the self or kindness to others or kindness to the environment.

As Shakespeare quoted ‘Beauty lives with kindness’, kindness is a noble act of gentleness to others, to environment or to one’s own self.  It gives inner happiness and makes one feel good about oneself.

I did not know the gift of kindness until I experienced it myself. In my first year in college I went on a trip to Dehradun along with my family. We were heading towards Haridwar. On our way through the jungles of the Garhwal Himalayas amidst the lust green forest, we saw a young girl suddenly appear from behind the trees and jump in front of our car. Our driver stopped the car just on time. There I saw a girl of about ten years old whimpering. Her dress was torn, her hands and feet were bruised and she looked starved. We gave her some food and water and asked about her whereabouts. By now we could understand that she was blind. She told us that she lived in Chidderwala and that she was out with her brother to fetch some fire woods, when it started to rain and she slipped and fell into the forest stream. She managed to get out of the water and yelled for her brother but to no avail. She then tried to find a way to her home but only got more lost into the forest. She had spent the night shivering and scared in the forest. Hearing the sound of a car coming, she had jumped out for help.

We took the poor girl with us to Chidderwala. Soon the villagers recognised her as the blind girl and took us to her family. Her mother was delighted and hugged the girl crying. She thanked us and took us to their small hut. The mother told us how her daughter when three years old had mistakenly washed her eyes with wood alcohol thinking it to be water and since then had lost her vision. She wept at her daughter’s misfortune. I convinced her that her daughter might get her vision back if she was treated in a good hospital. The mother sighed since such expenditure was not possible for her to bear. My mother then offered her some money for her daughter’s treatment. At first she refused to accept our money but then my mother convinced that her daughter was no different to her than her own daughter. At this she accepted our money gratefully and promised to use it for the girl’s treatment.

Four years later, I got a job posting in Roorkie. For a survey, I had go to Chidderwala again. It had been raining heavily at a stretch for three days. Unfortunately, all the hotels were closed and there was no mobile network. I was exhausted driving on the steep slippery roads all day. Dusk was setting in and slowly the clouds descended over the hills. It was too foggy to see my way. Finally seeing it too risky to drive I halted my car. It was very dark and cold. I was scared to be alone at night in a car on a hilly road.

After sometime when the rain had slowed down, I saw a girl approaching towards my car with a torch. She asked me if I needed any help. As soon as she heard my voice her face brightened up and smiled at me. Without recognising her, I asked who she was to which she replied I was the blind girl you once helped. She told me had I not convinced her mother and provided the money, she would have never got back her eye sight. I was overjoyed and hugged her. She took me to her home. Her mother welcomed me and expressed her gratitude. I got not only a shelter that night but experienced the love and warmth of a second home.

So from this experience I learnt that kindness is so beautiful. Had I not showed kindness on that girl, I would not have received the kindness when I needed it. The world we live in today has been through a lot of things from world wars to pandemics, but one thing which remained constant throughout was resilience and kindness. It gives the spirit to fight back and help out each other. Kindness must be an essential and universal quality to make the world a better place.