Shaping life through selfless acts

Days ago, at a dazzlingly lit food joint, a dear friend and I, after a meal of dosas and delectable doughnuts for dessert, were drifting over a dozen topics. Suddenly, I sensed that something was unsettling her.

Slowly, she started speaking. “A couple of weeks ago, when a colleague of mine, whom I considered close, was indisposed with a cold, cough, and chronic headache, I instantly couriered a box of chocolates and colourful flowers to cheer her up. But, last week, when I was under the weather, she didn’t even bother to enquire about my well-being. It may sound business-like, but be it any relation, the bond builds and becomes stronger only on the basis of ‘give and get’.”

As I was coming back home, I began cogitating. Truly, it is common to expect the same care, concern, consistent warmth, and cordial behaviour from close relations, chiefly when we’d have contributed these in copious measure. But, incidentally, there are some incredible humans who radiate infinite joy around without even an iota of expectations. One such is my spouse’s Naval batch-mate, Johnson Manohar.

On our WhatsApp circuit, Manohar persistently posts a plenitude of pleasant lines about each person on his/her birth anniversary. Manohar’s couplets are not perfunctorily penned but punctiliously written with profound sincerity, portraying positive attributes of the person and celebrating the special day. Call it torpidity; many of us, trotting out the same trite excuse of terrible ‘drought of time,’ don’t even try returning to Manohar, the same happiness he offers.

More awful is that we even overlook the aspect of thanking him adequately. There are times when we have even got totally swept off by Manohar’s encomiums on us. And have miserably missed out on the fact that his mind-elevating lines are merely manifestations of his own magnanimity and the magnificence of his heart.

It’s believed that there are three components to the good things one receives from others: recognising them, really appreciating them, and reciprocating. At times, we forget about reciprocating; we even fail to recognise it! But Manohar never expects plaudits from people for his painstaking gestures.

But, looks like it’s the Almighty who is always recognising and amply rewarding Manohar’s awe-inspiring acts. The way Manohar’s sons are sailing on super-massive waves of scintillating success on foreign soils is a simple testament by itself. Surely, by selfless sowing, somewhere there is surplus reaping!