Seva: I understand it now

“Hey, it is Hirni! Come beta, come in”. There was a sudden hustle in the house and then I saw her coming running from the kitchen. She smiled and said, “Wow! I am glad that you’re back. Tell me what do you want to eat?”
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling as this family welcomed me with so much warmth. You will be surprised to know that they are not my relatives nor are they a family which has known me for a long time. I was a stranger in their house a week back and today when I entered, I was probably a friend.
Let me rewind the story by 7 days. It was about midnight when Sehnaz and I walked past a group of three men in a lane opposite the Gandhi Ashram in Amdavad. The city was asleep. The lights had been turned off and the only company we had was the cool breeze. They stopped us, intrigued. We told them that we were looking for food but we did not have a single penny to buy it.
Their reaction was, “Oh!” and they seemed perplexed. Quite similar to how you might be feeling now. Allow me to give you some context. 3 of my colleagues from Teach For India and I had embarked on a “Padh Yatra” that night. We started walking on the roads of the Gandhian city. Scared as much as we were, we decided to be together for the entire night till we got a bus back to our rest house next morning at 5:00 am from Gandhi Ashram. Walking in an unknown city without a phone and money seemed challenging yet exciting for us. As we walked people became our maps. We asked them about the route to Gandhi Ashram. We took breaks by sitting on the roads, used the public toilet in the petrol pumps, borrowed water from the watchmen and asked shopkeepers food as we “marched” towards the Ashram. Except for food, we did manage to get the other things.
It was in a lane opposite the Gandhi Ashram that we met the group of men. Even though we shared a piece of limited information about our situation, one of them got up and said “Wait. Let me ask my mother”. And even before we could respond, we saw him run towards his house. The positive response made us happy instantly. We followed him and waited stood outside the door as he went inside. What happened next was the most humbling experience we four had ever had.
Gita aunty welcomed us with a huge smile. She cooked an entire meal exclusively for the four strangers in the middle of the night. Khichdi, Aloo Sabji, Makki Roti and Papad. A meal that was more than sufficient for someone in our situation. Piping hot meal served with utmost love was what we received at her house that day. She left no stone unturned to make us feel loved and wanted. Within an hour, we knew her entire life story. From sharing her photo album of good memories to sharing the grief when her husband passed away, she established a connect with us. And while this was happening, I saw the real-time answer for the question, “What is Seva?”. What Gita aunty did, according to me, was Seva in its purest form. She even offered us a place to sleep but we politely denied the offer. That night we slept on the roadside benches for some time and then under the shade of a shut shop.
After a week, on my way back to Pune via Amdavad, I paid a visit to their house again. This time with a box full of sweets. It was my small way of thanking them for their unconditional act of love. When we acknowledge and show gratitude for unconditional acts of love, we end up encouraging people to do more such deeds. I was once again welcomed with a huge smile in their house. And just like before, they fed me gloriously. This time with all the Diwali snacks they had made. Gita aunty took it is a step forward and even packed some of it for me to take back to Pune. I moved from being a stranger to a friend. I left their house, with gifts. By gifts, I don’t just mean the snacks, books, and a khadi material they gave me but also the gift of love, compassion, and friendship. I had gone to their place to show gratitude but I ended up receiving much more in return. That day I connected with a family.
I am not really sure how many of us would have been willing to do such a thing. In fact, I don’t know if I would have done it. Doubts, fear, apprehensions and negative thoughts would have just clouded my mind, stopping me from doing it even if I had wanted to. It was a night of not learning but experiencing a few important life lessons for me. When you are content and confident of yourself, fear vanishes and looks like Seva is not a myth.
This, my friend, is truly the most amazing experience I have ever had!
Note: This is a true incident that happened in October 2019.
#TFI #Amdavad #Seva #love
