They hide behind ordinariness in everyday life but their acts of compassion make them special
Heroism is not limited to the battlefield or silver screen alone. It is present all around us but since these intrepid heroes don’t make a song and dance about their noble acts, we tend to miss noticing their considerable contribution. The basic creed of heroism is to show grace under pressure and courage in the line of fire. A person’s conduct and mettle to look squarely into the eyes of an adverse situation smilingly are the quintessential qualities that make her/him stand out from the rest. Another great characteristic of a gallant person is that s/he invariably does the right thing, takes the right course of action, even when nobody is watching. Such real-life women and men of honour, perseverance and diligence aren’t perturbed by the lack of cameras at hand to record their heroics but they give the moment their all, and then some more, to vanquish the hardships. Of course, they do it at the cost of their time, energy, comfort and finances; sometimes even life, like Narayan Dabhalkar of Nagpur. The 85-year-old unflinchingly vacated his COVID hospital bed, secured after much effort, for a critical 40-year-old patient he didn’t know (“the family’s kids would be orphaned”) after the hospital refused admission to the latter because there were no vacant beds.
Opting for a discharge despite dipping oxygen levels and against medical advice, Dabhalkar returned home and passed away three days later. Similarly, businessman Ketan Rawal is providing 12 of his 50 vanity vans to the Mumbai Police free of cost to help policemen and frontline healthcare workers rest and eat as they serve during the partial lockdown. For their part, Ludhiana’s good Samaritans are sending free home-cooked meals to COVID patients and pasting motivational messages, wishing them speedy recovery, on these food packets. Then there are “oxygen langars” being organised, people volunteering to deliver free food and medicines to COVID patients near their residence. To put it in Hemingwayesque fashion, these noble souls show the coolness, the grace, the courage and the discipline to rise above their sorrow, misfortune and self-interest while lending a helping hand to those less fortunate or doughty. Let’s doff our hats to these unsung heroes and sincerely hope they would inspire many more people to bring fraternal care, courage and empathy to our pandemic-ravaged society and its hurting individuals.
