“Real generosity towards
the future lies in giving all to
the present.”
– Albert Camus, Notebooks 1935-1942
Nobel prize winning author, journalist and philosopher Albert Camus couldn’t have summed up the character of the men and women who strive to bring the laughter back into the lives of people who have lost everything, while never hankering for public accolades or awards.
The fourteen special people we have picked including the lone girl to feature in our special New Year’s Day edition as the fourteen stand outs of 2014, must prompt us all to do more for our less disadvantaged fellow travellers in this journey of life.
They embody the many selfless qualities that mark the two Nobel Peace Prize awardees, India’s Kailash Satyarthi and Pakistan’s Malala Yousafzai, the inspiration for this series.
We have allowed limitations of geography to dictate our choice, but that does not diminish their incredible achievements.
As DC’s Darshana Ramdev writes of our own Malala, eight-year-old Shalini - “...she took her attackers head on. She was rescued from a brothel in Mumbai early in January 2014 and brought to the government-run orphanage here in Bengaluru...even went back to Mumbai to testify against him in a court of law.”
DC’s Amit S Upadhye, our wandering footloose reporter has this to say about Hajabba, who sets out every morning to make a 25-km trip to the nearest coastal town.
“For the last 15 years, every paise that he makes has been spent on educating those who cannot afford it. Hajabba, the orange-seller has built a school in Newpadupu, which caters exclusively to the poorest families in the area.”
DC’s Gururaj A. Paniyadi, writes of Hasanabba, who has saved the lives of over 500 accident victims in the last 30 years; Pilgrims heading to the holy city of Dharmasthala who must make their way along NH 234, which passes through the treacherous Charmadi Ghat.
That’s where Hotel Charmadi and its owner comes in. The Good Samaritan. Only a phone call away.
For every Malala that the world celebrates, thousands of other unsung heroes do their bit to change the world. They get no fanfare, no coveted awards ever come their way - these are the greatest stories never told.
“Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.”
