We need bigger hearts, not bigger homes

Sanjay Khandelwal
Jul 25, 2017 · 4 min read
Picture credits : emotivebrand.com

My phone vibrated aggressively as I rushed back to office half drenched. Mumbai monsoons are absolutely unexpected and irregular. It pours cats and dogs just when you are expecting a bright day and the sun burns with intense fury when you are expecting a heavy downpour. The phone continued to buzz as I my made way through the traffic to reach office. I had to pick up this call, he had been calling me since morning but I could not speak to him due to one reason or other.

“Sanju can you hear me? “ asked Ram uncle, my mom’s elder brother. I barely could. (It is quite intriguing how you can always hear the “CAN YOU HEAR ME?” question but nothing before or after that)

“Are you in Mumbai next week?”

I had just been on a trip last week that burnt a huge hole in my pocket. I was sure I wasn’t going anywhere for next few weeks.

“Yes, yes. Are you coming?” I checked

“Yes. Rahul has an interview at a college. We are coming for 3 days. Send me you address”

“Okay when… … … … . . . . . . “

I lost network and the call dropped. I messaged him the address and was quite happy by the prospects of meeting him after a long time. But it suddenly struck me. Wait! Why did he ask for the address? Is he just going to visit me or stay at our place? But how will he stay with us, there’s not enough space?

I stay with at Mohan uncle, my daddy’s brother in Mumbai. I and 5 others used to live in a reasonably big house comprising two adjoining flats. A few months ago my uncle decided to move to a new city and sold one of the flats. Since his new home wasn’t yet ready, we decided to stay together in a single flat for a few months until his new home was ready. This is precisely when Ram uncle was planning to visit.

It isn’t unusual for people in my family and community to stay at each other’s place; it’s the traditional Airbnb where people pay back in kindness when you visit them. It not only helps you avoid exorbitant bills at hotels but is also a way of keeping the community close knit and bonded. However, I’m sure if Ram uncle knew we were short on space, he wouldn’t stay with us. I thought it wouldn’t be nice if I tell him not to come, so I asked mom to inform him, of course, subtly.

“You are thinking too much Sanju. He might stay with his in-laws who are in Mumbai too”

She was wrong. I soon got to know he was going to stay with us. I informed Mohan uncle about Ram Uncle and his son’s visit. I asked him if I should inform him about the shortage of space. I thought he would tell me he would do that himself. However, I was struck by what Mohan uncle had to say.

“ Are you mad. Its monsoon time. How can we let him search for hotels in this terrible weather.”

“And why would he stay at his In-laws place. The college they plan to visit is closer from here but extremely far from his In-laws place. The traffic is already worse due to monsoon. Rahul might get late or miss his interview.” He continued as I listened attentively.

“Let them come over. We can adjust for three days, we aren’t that poor with space. The kids and granny will sleep in the room with us, while Ram, Rahul and you can sleep in the hall (drawing room).”

Just when I thought he was done, my aunt added “Have you sent him the address? If he is visiting for the first time, you should go pick them up.”

Uncle Ram and Rahul stayed with us for three days and had an extremely comfortable stay. My aunt made some lovely Mumbai delicacies which they particularly loved. Contrary to what I had imagined, there was absolutely no issues with space.

Generosity does not necessarily reside in the expensive coffers of the rich. It lives in the huts of kind hearts.

My uncle’s stay thought me an important lesson about generosity. Our ability to give does not depend on how much we own but on how much we are willing to share. There are times when we possess a lot and we hold everything we own close to our chest (not heart!). We tend to believe that we ourselves have less than what we need and cannot be expected to give. But in reality all of us have enough not just for ourselves but even for those who we would like to help. I once urgently needed papaya leaves for a cousin suffering from dengue. When we couldn’t find them anywhere in the market we approached a poor women who had grown a papaya tree in her modest land by the railway track. She gave it us (and to many others) for free. Contrast this with pharmaceutical giants whose hearts turn cold as cadaver when asked to sell medicines at affordable prices. Generosity does not necessarily reside in the expensive coffers of the rich. It lives in the huts of kind hearts. As my uncle says “You don’t need bigger homes to host people, you just need bigger hearts”.

Sanjay Khandelwal

Written by

I travel, I read and I’m learning to write:-)

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