Compassion: a path to get a lot from a little

Long back I got an opportunity to work at a school for disabled children. It was one of the most rewarding things I've done - with so little effort to uplift their spirits, I was much rewarded by their good will, all through my life. I learnt to be more patient, undemanding, loving and caring for others in life. Unnoticed by the mainstream of life, those children blossomed like a bunch of wild flowers. They were happy with so little loving kindness from others. They laughed, danced and exchanged emotions through their sign language. Hearing impaired children had great concentration that they used beautifully for creative activities. In today’s world, when everyone is so focused on getting ahead for fame or fortune, those children stood apart. Their attitude of gratitude brought sunshine in every interaction. Later when I volunteered with orphan children, I saw the same graceful, undemanding nature among them. Away from home, they made the orphanage a loving nest for each other. Life flows like a river. At every turn, it creates new experiences, new thoughts and attitudes. Now I have reached my ripe old age and am blessed to be surrounded with a few loving souls. One of them is Gujia, a three legged elderly stray dog. Long back, one leg was crushed by a careless driver, and luckily rescued and treated by an organisation, he finally he came to me to becomee my silent soulful companion. The second, is a lovely little kitten, we call her Ladoo. After losing her parents and siblings, she chose our garden as her new home. My animal lover son has flooded her with attractive toys, tasty foods and comfortable beds. She is the darling of the house. She loves to accompany me on my morning walks and sits under my chair when I solve sudoku or read the newspaper. Gujia and Ladoo respect each other and keeping a safe distance, never to step into each other’s domain. My two maids (one with a young boy) are excellent in taking care of me. They are also brave souls, facing life’s challenges with courage and dignity. I see the same light of courage in their faces. I thank them all to make my golden years really golden. As the Dalai Lama said, “ If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If YOU want to be happy, practice compassion “.

On Silence and Violence

Sometimes when I sit alone, often a beautiful line floats into my mind which says, “where the heart is full , silence is the best expression". In today’s noisy world, this statement seems to be so absurd, but when we look at the nature, we realise how true it is. The sun rises and sets, stars twinkle, a flower unfolds its petals - all in silence. Silence is the language of the nature. Even the beaming smile of a child, or a dog’s wagging tail, expresses joy without the need for sound. Verbal communication started by humans out of necessity. With the power of words, inspiring literature was created through the ages. Between individuals and nations, the right usage of words are essential factors. But in today’s world, we often find words become routine expressions lacking the spirit of a heartfelt exchanges. A purely functional expression of "hi" without a friendly smile loses the human connection and often the exchange lacks connection. “Thank you" and “Sorry" without true gratitude or remorse are hollow expressions of politeness. Moreover, the constant use of social media full of exchanges that are purely based on words, gadgets like computers and smartphones have separated people from the ability to express emotions directly through humans encounters. With the advancement of modern technology, we have brought an imbalance between our head and heart to such an extend that we are creating weapons to safeguard our interests but on the other hand are distancing ourselves from each other resulting in a society basedon greed, self-centredness and fear. Ultimately this breaks up our loving bond in families and nations too. This sad situation is seen all over the world today and the time has come to think about it little more deeply. If we want to make our temporary stay on this earth a little meaningful, we must try to broaden our outlook, come out from a fearful, self-centred existence, and embrace this beautiful but uncertain life as a gift. Our gratitude may be expressed through our acts of loving kindness towards all life. As we all are temporary visitors in this planet, it will be better, if we perform all our assigned worldly duties as a service to our creator. We all can make our every moment a wonderful moment - as Tagore wrote in his poem - "Oh drown all my arrogance in my tears. Let me not project myself in my work. Let Your will be done in my life."

Finding Balance in Purpose

In my childhood days, I always looked forward for our annual sports day. The event I liked most was a balance race. Balancing a boiled egg on a spoon held between the teeth, we had to run. Of course if you used your hands to adjust it, you’d be disqualified. It was good fun but required perfect balance, alertness and focused mind, steady steps and confidence. Later in life, I realized those qualities which were required to succeed at the balance race were also required to bring success in life. A focused mind with steady steps and confidence are required to reach any goal. The Indian Gurukul system of education imparted knowledge in much the same way. Children grew up in close proximity to the teachers, learnt to love and care for nature, developed ethical values to respect elders, extended helping hands towards families and others in need, learnt to bring peace and harmony all around. Great Gurukul institutions, like Nalanda, Taxila gave world famous scholars. The aim of education was to bring harmony, peace and well-being to all, and never aimed to attain personal fame or fortune. Pleasant or unpleasant things which came in life were accepted as blessings of God, and to clear karmic accounts. Today information is universal, and easily available through technology. Information alone does not teach us to be a better human being. Though we can send our thoughts to any part of the world in a second, we have forgotten the art of establishing loving communication even with our near and dear ones. Tender minds are receptive - if seeds of good values are planted in young minds through right education, then they can bring heaven on earth – otherwise, as an intellectual giant C.S.Lewis said, “ education without values can make a man a clever devil.” The truth of his predictions are coming true and are seen all around us in the world today. The time has come to bring a change in our approach to education – perhaps a better balance between gaining information and learning through play. Life is well lived if we learn to walk our path as if we were balancing an egg on a spoon clenched between our teeth. Balance and purpose.

The Power of Simplicity

Last September, when my son Prodeep visited me for a few days, Delhi was hot and sultry. So without wasting any time, he made a quick plan for us all, and that was to visit Ramgarh, a hilly area in Uttarakhand. He booked an Innova taxi, and we left Delhi early next morning. Driving through forests, hills, and crossing the small rivers was a thrilling experience for us all. When we reached Ramgarh, it was past noon, the sun was ready to set on the western horizon, and our rest house that stood on the edge of a mountain glowed in the rays of the setting sun like a temple of gold. We rested peacefully at night, but my adventurous son quietly slipped out early morning to the jungle to have a feel of the forest. He returned safe, and was lucky to hear a tiger’s roar from a nearby hill amidst the chirping of scared birds. We did not have any fixed plan for the day, so when our young tourists guide suggested we visit Kainchi dham, a temple of saint Neem Karoli baba, we all got ready. Soon we started our journey through a jungle road and reached there much before noon. After having Darshana and Prasad, I settled down in a quiet corner to hear the whole story of that great saint from a local guide. Neem Karoli baba was not much known, and once, when he was travelling by a local train without a ticket (being a renunciate), the ticket collector came and asked for the ticket, which he could not show. So he was forced to get down at the next station named Neem Karoli. After that a strange thing happened. The train could not start, and with all the efforts of mechanics and engineers, they couldn’t fathom what the issue was. Finally, it dawned on one of the railway authorities that something wasn’t quite right. He went and apologised to the (then) unknown saint, and brought him back to the train, upon which, the train promptly started. Later that place became famous, because that saint made his Ashram there and he became famous as NeemKaroli Baba (named after the train station). Famous people from all over the world visited that place, met him and had his blessings. Steve Jobs, many writers and musicians were much influenced by his teachings. In 1970, when the hippie movement was strong and westerners were much confused with materialistic culture, they came to him, got guidance, and many of them went on to do great things. Ram Dass is one of his students who is famous in spiritual circles in the west. Many have been influenced by his teachings – Mark Zuckerberg, Julia Roberts, Larry Page (Google), Jeffrey Skoll (eBay) among them. Neem Karoli baba’s message was simple and profound. He said “ Love every one, feed every one and remember God always.” This message is the gist of Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga. Here “feeding“ has a bigger meaning. It may mean to take care of elderly, or to write a book, or make a movie with a spiritual message, which can feed people with positive thoughts. In whatever way if we can help a needy soul, that can be our true prayer to God. This simple and sacred message was conveyed to us all through the ages by all great saints. As Swami Vivekananda said “He who serves the poor, serves God”

“Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky"

Yesterday I received an unusual message from my Chinese friend Lee, which inspired me to write this article. It said, “ Be like a tree, stay grounded, connect with your roots, turn over a new leaf, keep growing.” This message is simple and profound, and instantly it brought many thoughts of past, present and future. I grew up in a small place in Bengal, named Santiniketan, which was established by the Nobel prize winning poet Rabindra Nath Tagore. It was a centre of learning where children grew up in the lap of nature, learnt to take care of nature and cherish it. Tagore introduced annual tree plantation ceremonies during the rainy season where five children dressed as the five elements of the nature (earth, air, water, fire and space) and planted five saplings, while appropriate songs were sung and poems were recited in praise of the nature. It was a beautiful ceremony and is still now vivid in my memory. In ancient India, knowledge was imparted to students by teachers sitting under the trees. In the scriptures trees play a central role =- from a place where saints are born as as a place of meditations and enlightenment, to references to mythical trees where all our wishes come true. Trees have long been considered the wisest and most tolerant of all beings, being the oldest. To learn to live well one must learn from the oldest among us. Modern education systems doesn’t incorporate the wisdom of nature. Information oriented education has made children more tech savvy, but could not knowledgeable about what life is and what it means to develop a loving bond between humans and nature, from where we arrive and unto where we dissolve. As a result of this disconnection, people are now more self-centred, and are forgetting the art to establish a loving communication with nature, animals, trees and even with fellow beings. We live in an imaginary bubble called modernity that is nothing but systemically enforced ignorance. Realising the obvious degradation of nature, these days many organisations and even spiritual masters are coming forward and trying their best to bring awareness and develop a sense of responsibility of human beings towards nature. Long back, a great scientist Jagdish Chandra Bose proved at the World Science Congress that plants have feelings and emotions, and silently they respond to the act of love or hatred of people towards them. Now the time has come to change our insensitive attitude towards nature. We must be ready to come out from the concrete jungle and return our awareness to learn from and connect with nature, from which we have been and always will be inalienable. To try to be a silent giver, humble, and caring for other lives on earth - and not just the humans we call our own. Trees give shelter to all, and by bowing down with it’s fruit laden branches, they teach us to be humble and wise. The life giving oxygen that is provided by trees is for all. And all while the insensitive modern mind caged in concrete does not hesitate to chop it off for his selfish motives. We must try to be more flexible, and intelligent, to change our attitude and make this world a better place for future generations to live in. After all, as Kahlil Gibran says, “Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky" .

Finding God through respect

These days, it is quite common to celebrate and express our love and gratitude to our dear ones by sending them cards or gifts on special days. Father’s Day, Mother’s Day or Teacher’s Day cards are always appreciated by the receiver and by the sender too. As life is too busy these days, so even these loving gestures have a lot of value to all. Though in India and many other Asian countries, this particular way of celebration is not very common. Yet showing respect to elders and extending a helping hand to the needy is a common practice in daily life. In India, even an unknown elderly people on the street or in buses will be addressed with reverence and will be helped by others. I was surprised to hear that, in many western countries, parents and elders are often addressed by their names by their children. This is a functional matter in the west, but would be culturally shocking for many from Asian countries and seen as a sign of disrespect. I remember one incident, which I experienced in U.S.A . I was not keeping well and my son, Prodeep was escorting me back to New York from the west coast. When we reached New York, he quickly got a taxi, helped me to sit inside comfortably and then got busy in arranging things and doing other formalities. It was a new experience for our cab driver. He was surprised to see the loving concern of my son for his mother, and asked me,” originally from which country you come?”. When I said "we are from India", he just uttered two words “that explains". I was feeling happy and sad both. His two words were enough to explain the situation of elderly in the richest country of the world. I was silent, but started thinking how we can make life liveable and loveable for all. In today’s Global world, we are all connected, and can make life better by learning from each other. Inner richness which is expressed through respect, unconditional love and service, which is definitely not less important than outer material gains. Rich countries can be happier by integrating some values from some other parts of the world that are not so rich, but have deep cultural values that have kept these societies stable for hundreds if not thousands of years. Cultures where the individual is not supreme and the divine spirit is part of the collective consciousness. Where, from early childhood, love to respect for elders and a desire to learn from their wisdom are values passed on from generation to generation. Our ancient Vedic Scripture says, “Honour thy mother as God, honour thy father as God, honour thy teacher as God, and honour thy guest as God “

The world is one family

Jennifer, my young American friend came to see me the other day. She was narrating her experiences of rural Bengal and about its village women's life. Recently she went to Midnapur - one of the poorest districts in India and interacted with rural women of different age groups who were economically depressed and also socially and emotionally struggling. To know the reality of villages of Bengal and the misery and suffering across many-women from many parts of India, where they spend life as silent sufferers. It is true that such a deep rooted problem can not be solved by charity alone. And only by equipping women with education and skill formation can one can take the first step towards reaching the goal of self-sufficiency and empowerment. I admire Jennifer, who with her medical background is always ready to help such people and also runs an organisation to empower women from economically weaker sections of the society. Women are taught leather work, block printing and other skills. Products produced by them are sold in America, bringing good money to them and a sense of purpose if not comfort in their lives. In rich countries, things are mostly machine made and hand-made items are greatly appreciated. And so it is a natural fit between the handicraft of India and the desire for hand-made products in western countries. This is a great formula for uplifting woman’s lives. Vivekananda,s saying is so true. He said - those who serve poor, serve the Lord. A self centered life always tends to become boring, stagnant and joyless. Recently I heard a podcast by a famous doctor, where he discussed the problems of unhappiness among the educated and wealthy urban population. Though they have got everything, but something is missing in their lives , for which they do not experience inner satisfaction or “ santushti.” Comfort and status can be achieved by money, education, family support etc. But to have inner satisfaction, one must know how to give wings to the inner self, and like a butterfly, break out of a self-centred cocoon and be free, experience inner joy, and extend a helping hand to needy people. The butterfly cross-pollinates all around. And by cross-pollinating the needs of India's village women with the desires of hand-made items in developed industrialized economies, the effects of Jennifer's butterflies are fluttering all around the world. The Upanishad says, “ vasudhaiva Kutumbaka” , which means the world is one family. The task now is to share the joys and limit the sorrows of this family.

Life intelligence

Recently, I got a good message on Whatsapp from one of our Chinese friends, that shared a subtle yet sobering thought. It said, an unborn child’s required nourishment is always provided by its mother, but as soon as he is born, it becomes his responsibility to draw life’s energy through various ways, to sustain life. We all are product of nature, and are sustained by its five elements, which are earth, water, air, fire and space. So we must realise that to sustain life, we must take proper care of Mother Earth, and the elements and find ways to stay connected. Too often modern technology is used in ways that satisfies our greed but brings a lot of harm to nature. Cultivation of genetically modified crops, injecting animals to harvest more flesh, or drawing out excess water and resources from Mother Earth are sad examples of human exploitation. Though now in my ripe old age of 84, I still enjoy learning more about computer science and artificial intelligence etc. from my11 year old grandson Adrian, who also enjoys flying airplanes as his hobby. Recently he came from U.S.A with his little sister Emma, and his parents to visit me. I thought of introducing him to a playful fun game with nature. Every morning sitting in the garden, in cool breeze, surrounded with flowers and chirping birds, I taught him one of my favourite childhood games – how to play a call and response game with a songbird and sing at a higher pitch than the bird till she responds! Just by mimicking it’s chirp, we were able to ‘play’ with the bird – a game which he enjoyed and practiced every day. Life flows like a river, with waves high and low, ready to fall back , and to be one. Every era brings something new to enrich life, but the whole of life has intelligence embedded within it and there’s nothing artificial about it.

New year's resolutions

Every year people love to make new year resolutions, which generally get broken soon. The variety of these resolutions is interesting. Someone promises to uplift health of body and mind, by avoiding junk food, or promises to go jogging every morning. Someone may think of strengthening relations by being more tolerant, while other may think of trying to do something just for one month, like not drinking alcohol in January! Life becomes interesting by the simultaneous flow of attraction and aversion of what drives us towards or away from ideas, people and obsessions. I remember one of the funnier new year resolutions made by a neighborhood group, which included the age group of sixteen to seventy two. Every morning they gathered near our adjacent park, and laughed very loudly together for thirty minutes. It was a laughing club, and members wanted to strengthen their lungs to fight back the heavy pollution of Delhi. It was indeed a very noble thought, but our Dog did not think so. Every morning, standing near the gate he barked loudly at them to show his protest. Their joint symphony, (Jugal bandi) forced us to be early risers. This year, at the age of eighty four, when I was trying to find a meaningful new year resolution, some thoughts popped up in my mind and brought a smile. Recently we were travelling from Madras to Pondicherry by car. On our way we stopped at a roadside Dhaba (small eating place), to have a cup of coffee. Chairs were arranged under the green canopy of a big banian tree. While we were settling down, we all noticed a few malnourished hungry dogs nearby. Some of them gave birth to puppies and were more fragile. They looked at us, with mixed feelings of both fear and expectations. My son Prodeep is not only a great animal lover, but also is a man of action. He immediately ordered six plates of rice, curd etc. for them, and when Dhaba people objected to serve dogs on their steel plates, he bought all those plates from them. The dogs were very happy, came near us and polished off all food in no time. After that, while wagging their tails with happiness, came to us and looked at us with loving gratitude. Their silent loving gesture was our best new year gift, which touched our hearts, and we preserved that tender feeling in mind like a precious treasure. True we cannot bring permanent solutions of many problems in this impermanent world. But by practicing the simple act of sharing and caring for all life on this earth, one can bring divine joy to others as well as to one’s own self. On the famous saying “Life is to give, not to take“ we may form new resolutions for this new year. That noble resolution stands on three pillars. First is to shower unconditional loving kindness to others, especially to deprived ones, secondly to develop attitude of sharing and caring for others and also to nurture sincere gratitude towards almighty, who has blessed us with a privileged life.

Oneness is all

Recently, I was delighted to get an invitation from our friend Silva to accompany her to a spiritual discourse by Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha. Silva is an Estonian lady by birth. After coming to India, her interest in spirituality deepened and her quest was satisfied when she met Swamiji and became his disciple. Swamiji’s intellectual approach to find spiritual solutions of life’s problems in an analytical way that appealed to many intellectuals, including my late husband Dr. Ashish Bose. The transition through Delhi’s thick layers of pollution to reach the venue where Swamiji was to speak didn’t dampen our spirits but after reaching our destination, we were magically transported to a peaceful heaven. In that twilight, we heard chirping birds were returning home, and could see expansive green lawns bordered with beautiful flowers. We proceeded towards the main lecture hall, which was decorated with orange merry gold flowers, and as Swamiji entered, dressed up in his orange robe, the atmosphere became vibrant with spirituality. In India, orange colour is known as sadhu colour. That day Swamiji touched a very important point in today’s problem, and also gave a solution to that. Today the whole world is suffering from conflicts and disharmony which has robbed our peace. The root cause is our Ego. Swamiji said the only way to overcome our ego centric attitude, is to understand and realise our basic oneness. The truth is, the whole creation is made of pancha bhuta - five elements (earth, air, fire, water, space), and life throbs in every heart in the same way. Our appearances differ for different climatic and cultural backgrounds. When we understand the knowledge of basic Oneness, egocentric attitudes will fall flat, and we can be at peace with each other. Our ancient scripture Upanishad said, “ Vasudhaiva Kutumvakam “, which means , the whole world is one family. Tagore prayed, “drown my arrogance in tears, make me modest “. All through the ages, great people realised that unless we realise our oneness with each other, we cannot survive, and cannot be in peace. As Martin Luther King Jr. said , “ We must learn to live together as brothers or sisters, or perish together as fools “.

Youngsters, our nation's pride

After being locked down for two years due to COVID, the start of 2023 brought a welcome change for me. My son Prodeep and his wife Louisa had planned well in advance to spend the first week of January with me in India. To avoid the cold weather in Delhi, we decided to have an adventurous trip to the jungles of South India, which are home to tigers, elephants, monkeys. Among many plantations, blue mountains, and rivers, with riots of colors in various flowers, the beauty of nature was breathtaking. We stayed in comfortable forest resorts each night, ate good food, and rested to prepare for the next day's adventure. This was my second visit to South India, and after almost forty years, I noticed a desirable change: national integration was taking place through migration from other parts of India. Smart young boys and girls from faraway places like Sikkim, Bhutan, Mizoram, Darjeeling, and Manipur were happily working in different service sectors like restaurants, hotels, and massage centers. They were noted for their skilled working abilities, cheerfulness, helpful attitude, smiling faces, and swift gait. I met one such girl, Martha, from Manipur, who worked as a massage therapist in an Ayurveda center in a jungle resort of Nagarhole in Karnataka. As I was unable to join the early morning jungle safari, my thoughtful son arranged for my massage appointments, and that's where I met this charming and enterprising girl. The skillful movements of her hands rejuvenated my body and mind. While talking to her, I realized that not only was she a skilled massage therapist, but also a very brave and determined person. She told me that after her 10th board exam, when she was getting ready to join the Indian Army, her father died, leaving behind two younger brothers and mother. As their small piece of land was not enough, she took on the challenge of financial responsibility, came far away from her home, earned money to give stability to her family, and worked hard to make her dream come true, which was to join the Indian Army. I advised her to study online and appear for the twelfth grade to get better opportunities to join the Indian Army. I salute such youngsters who have the courage to face problems, the determination to reach their goals, and who serve others with sincerity and a smiling face.

The pursuit of devotion, charity and self-discipline as the path to happiness

In Bhagavad Gita’s last chapter, it is said that three activities are most essential in life and they should never be renounced. The first is “Yagna “, which means a devotional service towards a higher power for spiritual growth. The second is ”Dana”, which means charity, and thirdly “Tapas” , which means disciplined effort so one can progress in life materially and spiritually. It is mentioned that all these should be practiced with ease, poise, and without any longing for a specific desired result. In today’s busy life, nobody has enough money or time to arrange for Yagna, but other two things can be practiced. Dana is a very noble act, by which one can uplift the spirit of a deprived person, by helping him to grow materially and spiritually, so do we ourselves. The act of charity brings benefits to the giver and the receiver. The giver’s life gets richer by the unseen blissful gratitude which flows from the receiver’s heart towards him. As a seed grows up in to a big tree, and bears fruits, our every action also bears many fruits, and what we sow comes back many times over in life. The intention behind our every action is like the seed that bears fruit – the nature of the seed is the nature of the fruit. Once I heard a story from my Chinese friend which may be relevant here to mention. Long back, a one armed man came and knocked the door of a rich lady, and asked for some donations. The lady was truly helpful and wise. After hearing his tale of misery, when she asked him to arrange some bricks in her garden, he felt helpless and expressed his inability to do anything with his one arm. The smart lady folded her one hand back and showed him how she could do the job only with one arm. The man got the point, did the job, and got a good remuneration for his job. Before leaving, when he asked the lady if she could kindly give him a handkerchief to wipe his sweat, she gladly gave him one. Many years passed, and the ageing lady was still there. One day a big swanky car stopped near her gate, and a gentleman came down and bowed his head to her. When she was unable to recognize him, he showed her that handkerchief which she gave him a long time back. He said she taught him how to live with dignity and also to be helpful to others. He now owns a company, and provides employment to youngsters to learn to live with self-dignity. Difficulties come to teach us to find out inner strength, to be humble and helpful. It is a great lesson, which we all can learn to make life worth living. If we only concentrate on hurt, we suffer. When we support those who might be trapped in a difficult situation and help them march ahead, we ourselves can blossom like a rose and spread fragrance all around. It is not the direct pursuit of happiness that leads to it but rather the pursuit of devotion, charity and self-discipline that leads to a life well lived, that is free and full of joy.

Gujjia the great

Gujia is the name of a popular sweet in North India – traditionally enjoyed most during the Holi festival. Our three-legged dog named Gujia, is equally sweet. He was named Gujia by “Red Paws”- noble organization that rescues and cares for stray dogs. Once during “Holi” festival, Gujia met with an accident. His leg got crushed by an insensitive, careless driver, who ran away, leaving Gujia bleeding on a dusty road. Luckily, he was noticed by “Red Paws”. They brought him to their shelter and gave him medical care which unfortunately required an amputation. After a long recovery, Gujia was ready to be placed in a forever home – and that is how Gujia came in our life - for which I am very grateful to them. With his kind looks and gentle behaviour, Gujia stole our hearts in no time and became darling to us all. But he dislikes two things - all loud sounds, especially the doorbell, and anytime he’s left alone at home even for a while. In both such situations, his style of protest is unique. He just looks up to the ceiling and starts howling in a soft, long-drawn and melodious wail that sounds unbearably pathetic and causes irrepressible laughter from anyone who witnesses the phenomenon. Recently, one winter morning, Gujia was happily digging mud in a quiet corner of our garden, while Rajbir, our driver entered and without noticing Gujia, he started his car – making an abrupt noise, and that made Gujia totally unnerved. In a second, he ran away from home so fast that nobody could catch him. The next three days and two nights were a totall nightmare for us. We had no sleep or hunger, and searched for him in every nook and corner of our neighborhood but could not find him. We possted his picture on social media and were waiting to get some information. Thanks to thoughtful and kind people, and technology, after seeing his photo on social media, one smart girl named Amiti, noticed Gujia sitting on a dusty road, under a tree. She was returning from her office in the evening. She took his picture and sent it to me to confirm. A thin ray of hope shone through. I thanked her profusely and sent my driver and maid to accompany her to the spot where Amiti saw Gujia last. They all rushed there, but could not find Gujia. He’d moved away somewhere else to be safe and stay protected in the winter night. Being a dog lover, Amiti already got some posters ready with Gujia’s picture, and with the help my staff she pasted them on the walls of the market place. Her brilliant idea worked like magic. Next morning, at eleven I got a call from Rajeevji, another dog lover, who informed me that he’d seen Gujjia at a particular location. My rescue team immediately reached there and saw our braveheart was sitting on a dusty lane next to a very busy main road. Hearing a familiar voice, Gujia looked up with hope, and totally exhausted. He had no energy to bark or even to get up. Rajbir lovingly carried him and put him in the car. Fighting and winning another battle of his life, Gujia the great came home, unhurt this time but totally drained of energy. We celebrated his home coming by giving him his favourite treats and taking selfies with big smiles while he sat in the middle like a king. We invited my two newly found two dog lover friends who helped us find Gujia and bring him back. This drama ended well, made us more thankful to God and to all our friends and helping souls. It taught us to stay strong and positive even in the middle of crisis. Long live Gujjia!