Inspiring Kindness

"You were destined to travel with me, Madam" says the aged Auto driver with a smile! I smile back a little self-consciously.  After all, I had just brushed him off saying I had booked a cab! After the Uber guy cancelled I had to go back to him a bit sheepishly! "You must owe me money from another lifetime, Madam! No wonder, the Uber guy cancelled" he says, grinning heartily. I'm kept engaged throughout the journey with various anecdotes.  Albeit halfheartedly and with a lot of skepticism at first, I begin to listen halfheartedly. We stop at the traffic signal near a Gurudwara. "Even before I made a boni(first earning of the day) today, I met a family of three...a mother, father and a physically challenged son of about 15-20 years. They wanted me to drop them off at the Hospital and said they would pay 30 Rs. Normally it would take no less than 60 or 70 Rs, Madam", he tells me.  "But I agreed to drop them anyway. I helped them to get the child into the auto and get him off at the hospital. It must be so difficult for them to manage." he says thoughtfully. "When they offered me the money, I refused, Madam. They seemed to be quite needy and i didn't feel right taking money from them." I am impressed and express great appreciation for his kindness. He shrugs off the compliment. "What's the big deal," he says, "we can all help each other a little bit, isn't it". Profound, I think.
He narrates his life story, he is a single man, no family, all alone, lives on the portals of a Gurdwara, earns his daily wages driving an auto that he has rented from a guy who has many. "I am happy with whatever I make, where's the limit to one's desires" Life lessons from a man who lives his life in what seems to me, the harshest of circumstances. The red lights all through the way, help to continue his narration.  I interrupt, only to ask him a few questions, 'how did your mother die, where did you live then, etc.' By now, I'm intrigued by this elderly gentleman. By the time we reach my destination, I'm deeply touched, even inspired by his small acts of kindness towards others. Life seems to have dealt him a bad hand, but he seems to be making the best of it for himself and helping others too in his own way. 
As he brings the auto and the narration to a stop, I ask him if it's okay with him if I share his story which may inspire others too, towards random acts of kindness! "What will you write, Madam, I haven't done anything great!"  He laughs self-deprecatingly. In a world which only focuses on the negative around us, maybe such stories will inspire us all to do a little good for others, I justify! He smiles, accepts the payment for the ride and says "You're a good listener, so I felt like talking...i usually don't share my life story with others.  Most of the people are anyway too busy on their phones," he remarks. As he drives off, I'm basking in the kind words of this man. A day which was quite stressful to begin with and an evening that really didn't go as planned, what with cancelled Uber cabs, unplanned Metro ride in a crowded compartment...all of which would have culminated in ending it on an irritable note. Yet, a few good words, an unexpected compliment from this stranger and i too am the recipient of his unassuming kindness.
Inspiring leadership is a catchphrase we keep hearing these days, but Inspiring Kindness, is what the world seems to require today, I think.