Living in a selfish world, we are often forced to question our ethics and wonder whether there is any humanity left at all. But sometimes, a random act of kindness by a stranger restores our faith in humanity and gives you hope that maybe all isn’t lost yet. And so, we asked our friends to tell us about the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for them. Here’s what they said:
1.
I was talking over the phone when 2 guys riding a bike came from behind and snatched it. I shouted to raise alarm, but they ran away. So then this other random guy, also on a bike, followed them and noted down their bike number. The police were able to arrest the guys who snatched the phone on the basis of that bike number and I got my phone back after 7 months.
2.
A couple of days ago, I forgot my wallet in the metro and a kind lady ran after me to return it to me. As I was thanking her, she just smiled and left. I didn’t even catch her name.
3.
This happened with my sister. One day, she was late for school when she happened to miss her bus. She used to live in Saket then. A very generous autowala gave her a free ride from Saket to Lajpat Nagar so that she could reach school on time.
4.
A very close friend of mine once lost my bike’s RC somewhere near CP in Delhi. The very next day when I was about to visit the RTO office to apply for a new RC, a young college- going guy knocked at my door. I was astonished and extremely happy as he gave me my lost RC. The guy came all the way from Uttam Nagar (West Delhi) to Dilshad Garden (North East Delhi) – A 1 hour 30 minute journey by metro.
And in return, all he accepted was a glass of water and a few chips. A very nice guy indeed.
5.
This one time, I was driving on the Delhi-Gurgoan Highway, and was hit by a severe asthma attack due to the massive pollution on the streets. I was struggling to drive, and was simultaneously shuffling for my inhaler, and was losing control of my car as well as my senses in the process. I finally managed to take a few puffs and drive my car to the edge of the road, and shut of my engine with my blinkers on. I was still heavily out of breath and desperately in need of water to treat the asthma. 3-5 minutes later, a man in a white car stopped his vehicle and came up to me. Without saying a word, he ran back to his car, got a bottle of water and offered it to me.
I somehow had a gut feeling I could trust this guy, and without any hesitation, I got out of the car while I was having water and throwing up, but getting better nonetheless. He stayed with me for about 15-20 minutes, asked me if I needed to go to the hospital, and waited till I was okay to drive. And when I was okay enough to reach home intact, he handed me his bottle and said, “In case you need it later” and drove off. I never caught his name, but I’ll forever be grateful to this guy.
6.
I met with an accident when I was doing my graduation from Chandigarh. I injured my knee and couldn’t walk at all. That was when a middle-aged man came in a black Santro car, took me to the nearest hospital and gave me his phone to call my local guardians. He also didn’t leave until someone I knew came. I still have no idea who he was.
7.
I once lost my Driving License in a crowded market place. Somebody found it and was kind enough to post it back home.
8.
Last year, I was visiting Delhi and one fine day I forgot my cell phone in an auto. By the time I realized that my phone wasn’t with me, I was hyperventilating and dialing my number again and again in the hope that somebody would pick up.
Apparently, after a while, when the auto driver stopped at a red light, somebody told him that there was a phone ringing in his auto. He then picked up my call and came all the way back to where he dropped me to return the phone. It was one of the kindest things anyone had done for me.
9.
Last year during Diwali, I boarded the midnight train from Mumbai to Delhi with a reserved ticket in the second AC coach. An hour into the journey and the TC came to check my ticket and told me that I had boarded the train a day late. I was supposed to be on the train that left the previous night. I was shocked and confused, and the TC very strictly asked me to de-board at the next station.
I was helpless and worried because I had to go back home for Diwali. So I thought to board the sleeper non-AC coach and just reach home somehow. But seemed like luck wasn’t on my side at all. A few stations later, a ticket checking squad entered the coach and I had to pay a fine. Those heartless people took away the last Rs. 600 I had.
For the remaining 1 and a half day journey, my co-passengers gave me berth (no pun intended), bought me lassi, cream biscuits and shared their food with me. They probably figured I was penniless. And all this despite the fact that the general coach was jam packed.
Yes, the second AC coach that I’d reserved would’ve been more comfortable, but the people here were warmer.
10.
I was vacationing in Haridwar at my grandma’s place. There, one evening I left my wallet at a shop without realising. The man who owned the shop called me and asked me where my wallet was and that’s when I realized that I had left it. He told me he had wrapped it in a bag and we sent someone at my grandma’s place to collect it. It was really thoughtful of him.
And now an incident from the other side:
I was travelling by the metro and saw a young lady, who had dropped her handbag while trying to get out from the metro during a rush hour. It belonged to a foreigner and it had her passport, euros, laptop, cheque book and all the other important documents.
I picked up her bag, got down at the next station, took the metro going in the opposite direction and found her talking to the authorities about finding her bag. She was so distressed and I just walked up to her and handed her bag. The expression of gratitude on her face still makes me smile. It was the best feeling to help someone like that.