Karthik's musings

It again happened, again in India

This time we were planning to go to Bijapur. This was in August and around the same time, northern Karnataka, especially the Bijapur and Raichur districts were flooded because of heavy discharge of water from the Koyna Dam in Maharashtra. Concerned about the flood situation that we may have to tackle, I put a post in my company's bulletin board asking anybody from Bijapur to get back to me. A good samaritan - Ravi - not just got back to me and confirmed no flooding in the areas that we were planning to visit, but also gave me the contact details of his brother who is in Bijapur and offered to put us up at his house there! We politely declined the offer!

As we approached Bijapur, I gave a call to the Ravi's brother - Mallanna - and he offered to come to the bus stand to show us the way to a good hotel. Since it was already beyond 9pm, we declined the offer and asked him for the directions to a good hotel. Next day morning, Mallanna was at our hotel and insisted on taking us around Bijapur! As we were going around, we noticed he got repeated calls on his phone and it turns out that he had a relative in serious condition in the hospital, and hence lot of people who had come from outside Bijapur were staying at his house. Even in the midst of all this, Mallanna took time off to take us around Bijapur! We were struck by his helping nature!

I wonder how many of us would have gone this much out of our way to a bunch of unkwon brutes if we were in his position. Again, the only way I can be pay back Malla is by paying it forward.

Do what you can with what you have where you are.
- Theodore Roosevelt