KINDNESS IS LIKE THE FLAME OF A CANDLE

She rose from her bed with an infectious enthusiasm and began to natter incoherently with animated gestures. It was her special day after all!

“I have become a big girl now. I am 3 years old”, she chirped making all of us smile.

That day we did not have to push her to get things done on time which meant she chomped on her sandwich pretty fast and was ready to visit the temple in the vicinity in record time. Accompanied by her grandparents and me, she was off to seek the blessings of almighty on a day which meant a lot to each one of us in our own ways. When we were outside the temple premises, the tiny little fingers were tugging at my kurta. When I glanced at her to figure out what she wanted to say, I saw her pointing towards someone. It is not uncommon in India to witness the underprivileged wait outside temples in the hope of getting some money from the passersby or the temple visitors. She was gesturing at us to look at an elderly lady with wrinkled skin sitting with a grim yet expectant expression on her face. Her eyes seemed worn out and she was clearly malnourished.

“Mummy, can we give her some of my birthday cake to eat?”

I went blank for a moment. Not because of her question but because I was wondering how such a thought occurred to a little mind. As if sensing my bewilderment, she continued.

“That day papa had taken that poor uncle to a restaurant to feed him food. You had said we should always help others and be kind to them. So can I share my cake with her?”

I was dumbfounded. And at that moment it hit me how children imbibe so much from their parents and we underestimate them when we think they are too young to understand certain things. I literally sprinted back towards my apartment to get some portion of the home-baked cake while my daughter waited with her grandparents at the temple. When I returned, I noticed that a couple of children were sitting beside the lady. Probably, they were her grandchildren. With a sparkling, innocent gleam in her eyes, my daughter shared the efficiently cut triangular cake pieces with them. Needless to say, they were elated but my gaze was fixed on my daughter. I could not take my eyes off her. The expression of pure joy and contentment on her face was something else, and it just reaffirmed a fact of life for me – “Kindness and happiness are two sides of the same coin”.

Being kind and empathetic towards others of course makes them happy but the positive impact it can have on our own selves is mammoth. To be able to touch lives is a power that has the potential to heal, to inspire, to rejuvenate and above all, to create a chain of happiness. As parents, we may impart moral science lessons to our children but if we do not practice what we preach, will our children turn out to be the human beings that we wish them to be? Will they be able to see the world with loving and considerate eyes if we blur this vision ourselves? Children emulate our behaviour and hence, it is important that we make kindness a habit. This is what my parents did and inadvertently, random acts of kindness became a way of life for me. And I can vouch for the fact that this is a huge reason for my happy state of mind. I never think about whether my actions are small or big. The reality is that whatever be the magnitude of our deeds, their impact will always be priceless and that is what is important – the impact on us and the world around us. I also believe that we should tell our kids that they are not doing anyone a favour by being benevolent or thoughtful. Who are these “others” we lend a hand to or show some love for? They are not outside our universe. They are a part of our existence because humans are not living in boxes; we co-exist. The secret to happiness which we are all seeking is really this simple and an understanding of this is the best gift we can give to our children.

For me, kindness is like the flame of a candle. When ignited, it illuminates our own milieu and spreading the light beyond our purview does not reduce the intensity of our brilliance and shimmer. It only multiplies manifold spreading luminosity in this world which desperately needs it.

 

 

The author, Anupama Dalmia holds a degree in MBA (Systems and Finance) and B.E. (Computer Science). After having a lucrative career in IT for 6.5 years, she resigned to pursue her passion in the creative field. She is a multiple award winning blogger and author whose work has been published in various coveted magazines and platforms like Women’s Era, Women’s Web, Momspresso, eFiction India, Youth ki Awaaz, Readomania, SheThePeople TV, etc. She has won numerous short story writing and blogging contests and has been featured by Women’s Web among the top bloggers of India. Her debut e-novella “Aarohi” has been garnering rave reviews by readers as well as professional reviewers and is among the top 3 in Goodreads list of “Best Kindle Unlimited Picks for Indian Readers – 2018”. She is also a professional dance choreographer and is the founder of the dance enterprise “Rhythms & Beats”. She co-owns the award winning cookery portal “Tingle Your Taste Buds” along with her mother. She strongly believes that raising the next generation right is necessary to change the world for the better and mentors children by conducting classes and workshops on reading and creative writing. To know more about her and her work, you can visit her author website – http://anupamadalmia.com

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