Ever feel discouraged by all the negative news? Be inspired by these everyday people whose generosity proves there are real heroes among us.
Abdul Sattar Edhi, who is 87 years old, just so happens to run the largest not-for-profit ambulance network in Asia. His foundation has rescued about 20,000 infants, rehabilitated over 50,000 orphans and has trained over 40,000 nurses and the numbers are growing. All that he has accomplished has never gone to his head. Edhi lives in a very humble abode and is a fan of the simple life. He has often been called an "infidel" by agressive political parties and mullahs but that does not stop this everyday hero from helping those in need.
"There were many who still complained and questioned, 'Why must you pick up Christians and Hindus in your ambulance?'" he said. "And I was still saying, 'Because the ambulance is more Muslim than you.'"
Sandeep Bacche
Photo Credit: www.thebetterindia.com
Sandeep Bacche has been a rickshaw driver in Mumbai for over 15 years. He lives in a 10- by 10-foot room with his wife, two children and his father. He gives free rides to the elderly, disabled and newlyweds. Bacche also donates part of his daily fare for cancer relief. Bacche has received a lot of attention for helping people and he's been profiled in newspapers and on television. He's received several social work awards and was even invited to give a TED talk. Celebrities have also picked up on Bacche's philanthropy and he's been congratulated by Shahid Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap and even Salman Khan, who happens to be one of his personal heroes.
"One day, I was driving my rickshaw and I crossed some construction work," he said. "I saw a poor Rajasthani woman with her young son. Both were crying. Everyone could see them but nobody asked why she was sad or offered to help. In Bombay nobody has time for anybody else. I gave her three rupees and her face lit up. While I waited at the signal, I saw her buy a Parle biscuit and give it to her son. Her son held it with both his hands and devoured it. She looked as happy as if I’d given her a hundred rupees. That’s when I realised I have nothing to complain about. There are people who struggle every day of their lives and they get so much joy from three rupees and a biscuit, so who am I to cry about my life? I have a roof over my head, I have a family, I have an income. Why not help such people? People whose lives have gone dark, why not bring some light into them?”
Vimla Kaul
Photo Credit: www.thebetterindia.com
"When I first went to the village, I saw kids roaming around and wasting their time. So I gathered five students who were interested in learning and started my first class," she said. "We could not afford a school building so we would sit in the open and learn. We kept moving from one park to another because we would not be allowed to teach in many of them. Finally, we moved to MGD park where we taught for 15 years."
Main Image Photo Credit: www.buzzfeed.com
Nomaan Khan
Author
After spending some time in a completely different field, Nomaan decided to drop it all and switch to Mohawk College to pursue his longtime interest in the world of Journalism. His experience working in multimedia platforms has helped him develop exceptional skills in thinking on his feet, being ...
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