REACH OUT!!!!

Landing up in Chandigarh for a two months training in MGSIPA, I grossly misestimated these two:

1. My ability to cope in a hostile environment(That was my ego overestimating my capabilities!)
2. Humanity from North Indians especially Delhiites( That was grossly underestimated considering how notorious Delhiites are for their helping tendencies.)

In such a hostile environment(with a language barrier, unbearable climate conditions and a culture that was far from Indian), the introvert in me had enough reasons to feel alienated. Keeping a more than safe distance from the aliens who might have as well been speaking Greek and Latin, lonely seemed too small a word to describe my predicament. As I stood in the corridor sipping tea and cursing myself, three ladies I didn't even know were from my training batch came up out of nowhere. "You seem to be feeling lonely. You can always come to us if you want someone to talk to" they said on introducing themselves. "I don't think I will be able to remember your faces and names" I replied honestly. "We will keep reminding you" they laughed. At that moment, something somewhere broke. Must have been that proverbial ice for I was feeling all warm inside even in the chilly weather. For the first time I felt I had been accepted as being no different from the others and the introvert in me gathered enough courage to peek out from the shell he had taken cover in. There was no looking back after that!

Makes such a huge lot of difference when you reach out to someone. Moreover it sounds so simple and easy to do right? WRONG! All that's simple is not at all easy. I will tell you what's easy though - Being part of a group that singles out individuals who are different and deriving pleasure from making fun of them. Now that's easy! We all have done it at some part of our life. What's tough then? Being singled out and made fun of just because you are different but still standing with your head held high, without letting your face betray the sadness and frustration that wells up in your heart. Now what's tougher? Having the sensitivity to realise that someone is lonely and the courage to break away from the group to reach out to him.

People are lonely everywhere. It's just the reasons that differ. In a world where hatred and insensitivity are so freely available, why not make a conscious decision to counter it with a little bit of kindness and sensitivity? When everyone else is looking for a reason to put someone down, why not resolve to lift someone up instead? Why not make the world a better place to live in??!!

These three ladies - Varsha, Sheetal and Neha are people I will ever be indebted to. There is no payback option here. After all these are people who are never going to end up in a lonely situation wherein I can give back in equal measure what I got. Hence I am looking for opportunities to pay it forward. If I can reach out to atleast three lonely people, I believe I would have justified the efforts these ladies put in for me. This post is just a thank you note to those three who were thoughtful enough to reach out when it would have been so convenient to stand back and make fun.