THE RICH AT HEART

-Karan Hiral Mehta

A month or so back, I had to visit a slum as a part of my B.D.S curriculum. We went to Eshwar Nagar a slum near my college in Bangalore. An event there touched my heart. When I entered the slum with my ten other colleagues, I had not expected much from the people in the slum. My seniors had told me their experiences of their slum visits and most of the time the habitants were not cooperative. I wouldn’t blame the inhabitants. Any one will get frustrated if every other day some or the other student of one or the other college comes and takes surveys or begs them to get treatments and then doesn’t do proper management. But the people here were opposite of what I had expected them to be.

On entering the slum the people welcomed us warmly. They were very cooperative. What touched my heart was that the head lady of the slum offered us snacks and cool drinks. She said it was a sunny day and we could use a little refreshment. I had been on a few surveys and campaigns before; most places were the ones where working class and high class people stay. But never had I been given such hostility. And here, where the people themselves had problems surviving with the little recourses that they had, they were offering us refreshments. My dad always used to tell me that people are not rich for the money they have, they are rich by the warmth in their hearts. I never had understood what he meant until this day. Now I fully understand what he meant.

People can own businesses, industries, buildings and yet not be happy. They can have more than what they need and yet be ungrateful and selfish. And yet there can be people who do not have the basic needs to survive and yet be so selfless. You can demand respect from people by becoming powerful or you can earn it by being noble.

Here’s to all the people who give more than they ever receive, those who smile through the sad times, who light the way for others, who spread love and compassion, people who bless someone else while they are going through their own storm. Thank you for making the world a better place.