Jan 10, 2005 06:15 PM
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(Updated Nov 29, 2005 11:08 AM)
PROLOGUE
A couple called Mr. & Mrs. Miserly, as the name suggests, had a reputation of being miserly. Mr. Miserly worked in a reputed private firm and had a decent 6-digit monthly income. Likewise, Mrs. Miserly had had a lot of grandmothers and was quite well off.
The only person who had the blessed ability to squeeze money out of them was their teenaged son, Vagabond Miserly. Voted almost completely spoilt for life by classmates, his only passion in life was partying and flirting around.
Mr. Miserly retired in December 2004 quite happily, not to mention the fat pension cheque. Now the couple had only one major worry: relatives and colleagues were constantly reminding them to socialize. Finally, they decided to celebrate New Year's Eve by going on a cruise to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. (Their first vacation in 25 years.)
They boarded the cruise ship in Port Blair. The cruise included five major tourist spots in the archipelago. The ship set off, the air was cool, the smooth motion of the ship was comforting. Mr. Miserly was grumpy by nature, but the blue sky and the open sea made him think fondly of his bank balance.
All was well until they completed cruising around two of the three islands when suddenly they noticed that the ship was heading back towards Port Blair. There was an instant confusion among the tourists. Mr. Miserly quarreled with the captain, demanding an explanation while Mrs. Miserly secretly planned to sue the tourism company.
The so far silent captain finally explained the unexpected change of route in a forced calm voice. ''Ladies & Gentlemen, kindly bear with us, we had to do it due to some unavoidable circumstances.'' The customers still weren't content. Finally the captain yelled, ''WHY THE HELL CAN'T YOU WAIT TILL WE GET TO THE SHORE?''
But the shore wasn't there at all. All they could see was dead bodies, devastated buildings, shouts of agony and pain. It was like hell descending through post-apocalyptic skies.
A major earthquake had occurred in the Indian Ocean, triggering off a Tsunami wave, which devastated the islands and coasts in the ocean, claiming the lives of more than a hundred thousand.
A fuming captain remarked to the shocked couple, ''Isn't it enough that I brought you back alive?''
THE AFTERMATH
The Miserly couple spent the next week on the Marina beach in Chennai and other Tsunami affected spots on the eastern coast.
The relief operations were on. The Indian Armed Forces had launched the biggest of them. The couple was deeply moved by the shocking scene. They had never been so close to the brutality of nature: people trampling each other to death at food camps, squeezing through queues to get refreshments, piles of dead bodies lying like distorted decks of cards and people hysterically searching through them for the signs of their beloved.
After returning to their hometown, Mr. & Mrs. Miserly were a changed couple. They generously contributed to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund and urged others to do so. They shared their personal accounts all over the city, and built an expensive rehabilitation center in Chennai.
THE POINT IS
The Tsunami disaster brought about a drastic change in the attitude of people who were considered the greatest misers in the world.
Where on earth does that leave us?
Like Shah Rukh Khan says, ''One rupee contributed by every Indian is enough to cover the expenses of the Tsunami disaster. Why do we need assistance from other countries?''
It's only a matter of chance that you and I are not among the casualties.
LASTLY,
The incident reminds me of a quotation in a Marathi book titled Mala Kay Tyache??(What Is It To Me?) written by Veer Sawarkar.
The meaning of the word self should not pertain to an individual, but it should extend to include our fellow human beings. I may not know much about charity and kindness, but the least I can do is increase the radius of my self.
Human beings are born naked and will die naked. Our wealth, name and fame are temporary. So the whole point of our gifted life is to make this world a better place for others to live in.
Contribution to relief funds may not earn us the Nobel Peace Prize, but somewhere, a destitute human being will thank god for the morsel in his hand, the clothes on his back, and the roof over his head.
and God will be knowing where it all came from.
