That Dhaka girl...

Two days back, I was walking through the CST subway and that bookseller again caught my attention who has been there always, whenever I have walked through that subway. There were many books. Many Marathi and English...And I happened to look at one book by (Edited by) Sudha Murty... 'Something happened on the way to heaven'. That colourful front cover attracted me. I took the book and glanced through it. I understood that it's a collection of some real life inspiring stories. This knowledge made me buy that book. I bought it.

Since two days, I have been reading one story everyday. Today was my third day and hence third story...'The Dhaka Girl'...

This story revolves around a Central character Meera who chooses to help one needy person when he was unable to feed his family, by giving him fishes which she was intending to cook for the dinner for her family. Moreover she also gifts him her rice. The man becomes very grateful as next day it was Eid and he had earned no food for his family within those few days. The story doesn't end with this scene drenched with humanity. In the later part of the story, you will see that same man who was helped by Meera, helping Meera and his family to escape from Dhaka during the riots of 1947. This reciprocation of help and some beautiful dialogues by the characters made me fall in love with the story.

'No religion is wrong and no soul is bad. It's just people who get misguided some times.' -  This dialogue  and one statement by the Meera (Storyteller) - 'I learnt that there are only two kinds of people in this world : human and inhuman, both independent of any religion. These two were really the eye openers and insightful.

Isn't it true that love, help, altruism, humanity don't know any religion? Altruistic, loving, compassionate people are always beyond the square of race, colour, religion, caste, sex and many more boundaries. They just look at and understand a human being. They don't wear other glasses to look at things. They see, feel and understand the pain of the person in front of them. They may or may not sympathise but they are able to empathise always.

Today, we need many more such real life experiences where people have gone beyond their stereotypes, prejudices and negative or dysfunctional mindsets to help others, to understand others, to empathise with others and to love others. I know this is an ideal stage but we can achieve it with exercising our minds and by thinking by our warm and generous heart. Terrorism, sectionalism, fanaticism , communalism , linguism , sexism, racism have been dividing us. We are standing separate by all of these isms. Where are we heading ?

I have read it somewhere that 'love is the ultimate form of the mother earth'. I wholeheartedly believe in this statement. It's such a hopeful and inspiring thought!

Let's light all the nearby hearts with warmth, compassion, generosity and pure unconditional love.

Take care. :)

- By Dipti S. A. Shinde

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