A relaxing day in the suburbs of Bangalore

What else would one want in life when there is a happy family at home, a flourishing career, and happy-go-lucky friends? It is rare to find so much of satisfaction in life, but the human nature is such that we always crave for more, no matter how much we get.  I have been working in a Japanese MNC in Bangalore for more than five years, and I have a great life that I feel is a gift to me from God. However, every time I think about my achievements until now, I still feel that I have a long way to go; as they say in Japanese, “mada mada desu!” I don't mean to say that I want to earn more in order to be happier than I am at present, but I have other long-term plans to attain more satisfaction. 

Since the Indian society, in totality, has given me a lot of things, I intend to return the favor in every possible way. Bangalore is a great city to live in the sense that I do not feel lonely because of the presence of thousands of migrants from other cities. When you have folks from so many different cultures around you, all of us tend to become a family. Everyone treats each other like their siblings and friends, and hardly any loneliness creeps in, barring a few occasions of course. Coming back to the topic of contributing to the society, I have found such friends in the city who are always willing to make efforts. I have been a part of social circles that includes members from various strata of the society, and these people cannot sit back at home every weekend sipping coffee and doing nothing. They have that restless feeling to indulge in social work rather than parties every week.

There was this morning in Bangalore when I was thinking of visiting a friend, who had got married a month ago. I wanted to gossip about his present life and how the newly married life was going on. A friend called me, who belongs to an NGO that educates kids in the suburbs and also trains the adults regarding personal hygiene. The guy, Sumit, wanted me to accompany the group to a hamlet near the city, where they had planned to educate the villagers regarding cleanliness and personal hygiene.

I must admit that it is not an easy task to change the mindset of the Uneducated concerning matters, which they believe are not important. However, we try our best and strive towards transforming at least a few lives. Just one life changed, we believe, is the entire village transformed. We just need to make efforts on our end; the positive results will follow one or the other day. Anyway, we stuffed our bags with informatory material and a few things that we intend to donate and left for the village.

The villagers of India never cease to surprise us, and it was a pleasant experience even this time. As soon as our car rental Bangalore entered the hamlet, the kids welcomed us with flowers, rice, coconut water, and sweets. Even though I do not have much of a sweet tooth, I could not stop myself from tasting the things that the cute little kids had brought for us. They also have tremendous gratitude in them that someone in the city is concerned about their well being. I do not wish to publicize the work we did there, but the entire day was really well spent. With the memories of times like these, I always look forward to contributing a little towards the society to make India a pleasing place to live.