My Friend Gives Me Hope

Getting some free time in office is usually spent in browsing the net and finding out something new to appreciate. Today I stumbled upon something full of hope and optimism in the form of this-> Housing.com . It also made me think of all that I see and hear every day, so many stories of sadness and disappointments and how few stories of hope and upliftment! That is why I always cherish happy news more than sad news. I also cherish meeting happy people or people whose stories fill me with a kind of renewed vigour to live life. 

One such friend of mine on twitter is @sosweet196. She comes from a family which wanted a son and instructed her mother to ditch her in a garbage bag when she was born! Yes, she is from such a family! These are the kind of stories we read about in newspapers. People who even worship Goddesses but when it comes to having daughters in the family, somehow they feel ashamed or God knows what happens to them, they will not even hesitate to kill a new born baby! Thankfully, my friend’s mother is made of steely nerves and she refused to throw her daughter in the garbage. She was thus thrown out of the house and disowned by the whole village. This happened about 2 decades ago in a small village near Delhi. Her mother then plucked up her courage and went to Delhi and there, in a hut by the side of the road, she started bringing up her daughter with utmost resilience. Educating her, teaching her about right and wrong, working through 3 jobs just to keep the home going, sleeping 3 hours a day, washing utensils as housemaid, stitching clothes at night and what not! But all through this, she never taught my friend to hate anyone or take revenge from anyone. My dear friend Asha went on to become a full scholarship student in school and college and is today a smart, sensitive, intelligent, empathic, compassionate, kind, independent woman –happily married to the love of her life. More importantly, a few years ago, her mother too found happiness again when she married a kind, compassionate man who loved her and her daughter for who they are. Today, they are all together running an NGO for homeless people, victims of domestic violence and helping everyone in need in their neighbourhood. 

This is the kind of story that makes me believe in humanity. I have met this incredible family and I have seen their unconditional love for humanity, their compassion for everyone’s suffering and their relentless work for those in need. Seeing them smile and bringing smiles on countless other lips is a joy that makes me feel really fortunate to having gained such a friend. I hope this story also brings joy and optimism to countless others.