Gestures big and small for humanity

Over the last few months, millions eagerly waited for rains to quench their parched lands. Rains have recently responded with alacrity in many parts and we too, in Gandhinagar, had our share of good rains. However, beyond the bountiful showers, berserk rains have devastated Kerala, with nearly 370 deaths, 58,000 plus in relief camps and over 6,80,000 people relocated.

Kerala is reeling under one of the worst floods in recent times, which has wreaked havoc, making the rich and poor, men and women struggle without food, shelter, drinking water and medicines. However, the small silver lining in this situation is the flooding of humanitarian response that one is reading about in media reports and various fora, including WhatsApp groups.

This humanitarian response from citizens, communities, educational and religious organisations is a loud and solid endorsement of a caring society and citizenry. Helping others, or 'Paropakara' is a cherished value in India, across geographies and communities. Indian mythology has it that when Prajapati uttered the syllable 'da', humans interpreted it as 'dana' or charity and this pleased Prajapati. Charity and humanitarian help is a basic and core value that is found across India and the world, across countries and cities, time and time again.

A few weeks ago, I read a fascinating account of a 'flying doctor' in Kenya, who dedicated her life to providing medical service for millions of people in Kenya. Dr Anne Spoerry used to treat thousands of people and vaccinate thousands of children in remote and far-flung areas of Kenya, for many many years.

She was a celebrated mascot for humanitarian help and altruism, widely respected and acclaimed, who had hugely contributed to humanity. However, after her death in 1999, some evidence of her involvement in inhuman crimes at the Ravensbruck Nazi camp was found.

This earned her a dash of notoriety, even though she served the suffering humanity to her proverbial last breath. In such instances, the mind may question and wonder if a person as this ought to be forgiven or not.

The famous author, John Hemingway, who was hitherto smitten by Spoerry's heroism, admitted recently that he has not yet been able to forgive her. He has written a book on her life titled, "Full Flight; A story of Africa and Atonement."

We may agree or disagree with Hemingway, but humanitarian acts sure need full support and appreciation. I wonder if we should judge them and see why and what motivated them to serve or act benevolently. Extrapolating this, I do not think this is meant to be a justification for a certain modern day Robinhoods, who break the law, steal and dole out some charity to the needy. Acts of charity and kindness are also to be seen in the light of the halo they radiate, the suffering they alleviate and the lives they transform.

There are numerous altars in life where one can offer time, efforts, things, and money or even consecrate oneself in serving others. This can be an individual, unstructured offering or even an organised, orchestrated effort. Across the globe, in many countries plagued by disease, calamities or war, humanitarian aid workers face hazards and challenge to serve those who need it most.

The UN general assembly designated August 19 as the World Humanitarian Day, to coincide with the day of bombing the UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003. While this is to recognise humanitarian aid workers, each of us can play an important role in making a difference by serving humanity. As I sat with my students in the Sunday music class, we offered our prayers in the form of a song for those devastated by the floods in Kerala. All these gestures and acts, small and big, would go a little further in alleviating the suffering, and bind people closer and tighter in the band of humanity.

The author is a Harvard-educated civil servant & writer, and has worked in the education sector 
jayanti.ravi.dna@gmail.com