Kindness is a circle. We must make sure we keep the circle going by giving back & being helpful

When you come across kindness in any form, make sure you pay it forward and keep the circle going. Kindness begets kindness; there is no mystery or rocket science behind this

THIS TOO SHALL PASS
By Punam Bakshi Mohandas

A couple of months ago, I was in India, finally, after more than two years, an absence not of my making but rather, the fall-out of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a rather fraught time, as I was there to collect mum’s death certificate, wind up her bank accounts (always a mess) and clear out her cupboards, donate her clothes, etc. Not a very happy trip, as you can well imagine.

All this clearing up also involved a couple of trips to Kolkata, as I had to conclude my aunt’s affairs as well, who’d also passed away. Everybody warned me not to expect to accomplish anything on this India visit, as Bengali officialese is known for its delays. And Indian banks, of course, are infamous for creating hurdles for their customers.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained – and so I set forth to Kolkata with all hopes, all paperwork complete and present with me. Uh huh. Despite calling and emailing almost a month in advance, I hit my first snag when the relevant Kolkata Post Office (I was winding up my aunt’s account there) insisted on doing things their way, which was that I should go back to Pune simply to await an official letter from them and then present myself on their (non-existent) Welcome mat again! But, but, but…I expostulated. “Hobe na”, the dude said firmly.

What’s to do? I came back to Pune with my hopes dashed, to the sound of “I told you so’s” ringing in my head from cousins and friends alike. And then my indomitable fighting spirit rose to the fore! Was I going to be cowed by all this red tape-ism? Not on your life! So, I dashed off emails at random to the powers-that-be, namely, the Gods of Kolkata Post Office.

Believe it or faint, but Someone Up There sure heard my voice! Apparently of all those random emails I dashed off, one of them did the trick, coz I had the concerned Postmaster call me next morning rather anxiously, enquiring if I had “complained” to his superiors and assuring me of his best service. Within a week of my return from Kolkata, I had the magic letter in my hands. Of course, this entailed booking yet another trip to Cal, at the mindboggling amount of Rs 27,000 (WHY is domestic travel in India so expensive?) and another two days after that, my work was done. This was so sudden that I couldn’t quite believe it, even after the money was credited into the account.

Cue to the banks. Be it Kolkata or Pune, I received nothing but co-operation (apart from the Bank of Baroda manager at Pune who appeared to think of himself as some sort of demi-God and demanded to know how I dared to enter his cabin when his minions were sitting outside for the sole purpose of creating obstructions! Thankfully, the minions were more human)! Within the first couple of weeks of my stay, all the bank work had been accomplished rather miraculously; no mean feat at all!

Therefore, all the tension and grumbles notwithstanding, these anecdotes only serve to remind me of the goodness and kindness of strangers all around me. Each time I’ve despaired, there’s always been a helping hand. I strongly feel God’s presence in this. And I do make sure that I keep the circle going, by giving back and being kind and helpful as much as I can, without expecting anything in return. It costs nothing to be kind – and is worth everything to see a smile of gratitude on someone’s face.

[The main/featured picture by Pixabay has been used for illustrative purpose only]

Also by the same author: What is Love? Do we fall prey to human foibles more often than not? – THE NEWS PORTER

Punam Bakshi Mohandas is a journalist and writer with 25-years of work experience across India, Dubai and Thailand. A nomad at heart, having travelled over 43-countries at last count, Punam is also a film critic. She was a weekly columnist for the Hindustan Times (New Delhi edition), Delhi Midday, The Financial Express, The Statesman and the Times of India (Kolkata edition). She is also the author of the book, ‘Fallen Angels