By Maria Thanglura
Scanning the headlines of news in these times can sometimes leave one full of despair. Gruesome murders, child sacrifices, ill-maintained natural environments and polluted cityscape, unsettling university imbroglios…there’s enough material to question the deteriorating quality of life on a regular basis .
(And an even more difficult task is to introspect on one’s role and responsibility…or lack thereof.)
Amidst the news and information which indeed is awareness-generating and informative, I’d like to share an incident which happened on the 10th October 2011. I misplaced my mobile phone which was not traceable even after repeated calls to my number. Some time passed till unbeknown to me, a gentleman in Pohkseh sitting in a taxi behind my car saw it falling from the car and instructed the taxi to stop so he could rescue the phone. Since the keypad was password protected he could not open it and therefore had to wait for a call to come through. Fortunately my sister and family friends ( Eva and Christine Pariat) called soon after on which the gentleman passed on the message that he had found my phone and could I please call him and collect it from Pohkseh?
On calling the gentleman and meeting him to collect my phone, I learnt the kind gentleman’s name (a retired army officer), Swapan. K.Sarbajna, husband of (L) Monica Rynjah and resident of Pohkseh Central 2 (near IGNOU). He recounted how he saw the phone falling but could not catch up with the car I was in. He told me he had planned to ask his son to drop off the phone (my contact address is displayed in the phone) in case there were no incoming calls to my number which could lead him directly to me. Thanking him profusely, I crassly and insensitively offered him money which he stoutly refused, saying it was his duty.
I came back home humbled and reflective, especially after being chastised by my family and friends for my carelessness but more so on the realization that sometimes there is no price or reward that can equal or surpass honesty, integrity, or an act of kindness.
In our day to day lives, we are flooded with information and news that no doubt enriches our lives and our careers. ‘Letters to the editor’ or the complaint box is an effective platform to raise or clarify issues but overall there is a dearth of heartwarming ‘news’ which can nurture and enrich our souls. In light of the above, it would be good for newspapers to consider adding ‘happy news’- a section that recounts true acts of kindness, of generosity, of honesty involving individuals civil societies, government bodies etc. which will surely inculcate good old-fashioned human values that we have forgotten in our struggle to be one-up in our power-plays or survive each passing day. Ultimately, these human values that we share and imbibe will be the rich legacy we can actually bequeath to our children and the future generations to come. Natural calamities, warring countries or environmental threats not withstanding. Thank you once again Mr Swapan K Sarbajna…an officer and a gentleman. (The writer is a documentary film maker)