My Story: Why Bargain With Street Vendors When You Happily Pay Full Price In Malls

We don’t have to be born rich nor will we die poor if we have some small and basic principles to show some compassion towards other living beings. Let me give you some micro tips which make a macro difference in other’s lives. A few that I would pen down are:

Letting the ‘change’ go

Living in a country like India, where we all are definite users of rickshaws, cabs, and street foods, we have a great opportunity to show our compassion towards people like this who work all day on roads but still make peanut in terms of their earnings. What I exactly mean by leaving those balances from the round off is to leave that little money to them instead of taking it back when they are paid for their service. If your total bill for that relishing pain puri is Rs 40, why don’t you leave the balance of Rs 10 when you give them a 50 rupee note? Doesn’t it make them happy and smile back which gives us that enormous amount of satisfaction? When your rickshaw meter is Rs 80 and you give them Rs 100, is it breaking our banks for doing such micro-charity of Rs 20? No, right? Imagine our entire country getting so compassionate for all the fellow beings.

Spending an evening with the old and the new

You don’t have to literally build an orphanage or an old age home for being able to help people. Fortunately, there are richer people who have already done this for us. All we have to do is volunteer a little so that we can bring a smile on their faces. Why not visit such a “Happy Place” in any of those lazy weekends and take them to a nearby local store and get them whatever they ask for? Of course, what more can they ask for when u take them to that candy or a toy store? Doesn’t it make them feel that someone pampers them and feels so good about that feeling of having a parent at least once in 3 months? Doesn’t it give you such sense of satisfaction of making someone happy and at the same time you didn’t have to spend in a way that you have NO food for ourselves? Think about it!

Not bargaining from street hackers

Honestly, we Indians have such easy access to help people when they are the ones who sell our basic needs like vegetables, flowers, and households on streets. Why don’t we make them feel that humanity does exist when you don’t bargain a penny from them and instead pay that 50 or 100 rupees extra realizing how much of a great difference it makes to people like them? We haven’t given any opportunity to bargain at showrooms or malls but why take it for granted with street sellers when we are given that freedom? It’s not fair. Is it?

Buying the unwanted but needed

There comes this poor soul ALWAYS trying to sell me those long pens (which usually doesn’t write well), stickers and usually something which I don’t really use at all. And I deny buying it the 1st time he tried, but when I saw his face when I said a NO. I just wanted to pick up those unnecessary (for me) stuffs and give him that satisfaction of getting enough money to buy his bread for the day and have that happy sleep for the night or help him pay his school fees for the month. I am totally aware that we don’t really need those things but you can still pick it up for the act of kindness.

Outsourcing small jobs

When we don’t mind travelling 1 km for that super special chai (Tea) or chats, why don’t we make some effort in helping his/her business grow? A small example could be helping them keep a stall in your office canteen with a very meagre rent which would help them increase their business to a greater extent. Or asking that old lady who prepares that tasty chai to visit your colleague’s group every evening or get her that permission to visit the entire office premises to supply the food?

According to the research, it’s discovered that every wealthy person donates 1% of his income on philanthropical activities. Well, many times 1% of a rich person’s income could be 100% of our incomes. But should that stop our charity and thoughts for well being of those in need? I am sure you say a “No” to it. We all should give it a serious thought on such a great concept of micro-charity especially in a country like India. Imagine each individual doing this in a 1 billion country like ours! Finally, I would like to say that these are only a few that I have penned down and there could be 100 such ways to help/assist the less privileged. According to psychology, the only way a man can get ultimate satisfaction is through charity or philanthropical activities.

Story By: Chetana Jagadeesh (Thejaswini Jagadeesh)

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