As you sow, so you reap (Part 1)

" Oh God, my pencil is broken! Does anybody here has an extra pencil?"

Many faces turned towards the speaker, giving looks of disapproval. Kamal too saw the anxious face. He had a new pencil in his school-bag. His older pencil was now on the verge of extinction. Today morning he had taken out the new pencil, sharpened it carefully, and then packed it in a plastic case so that it does not get broken while he walked to school. He had been looking at the case during the first class. The thought of writing with a new pencil gave him immense joy.

Kamal looked at that boy again, who had sharpened his pencil, making it too small to hold. He was trying to write something, but it kept slipping out of the hand. The boy again looked around desperately hoping that somebody will lend him a pencil.

Kamal could not bear it anymore. He took out his new pencil, walked to the boy's seat, and quickly put the new pencil in front of the boy. He was surprised to see it, and turned round to say something. But at that moment the new teacher arrived, and Kamal slipped back to his seat.

He knew he will not get to write with a new pencil for few weeks now. And he now started to wonder why did he give the new pencil away...

Are we being made immune to help-requests?

Last week, I was in market with my colleague. As we were walking along the road, an old lady approached us and asked whether we could speak Telugu language. My colleague replied in positive. The following is the conversation that took place between both of them:

Woman: Can you help me?

Colleague: Yes, tell me aunt.

W: I have come from Vijayawada with my son & daughter-in-law. I had Rs. 4,000 with me. After coming here, both of them took the money on some purpose, and went away. They have not come back. I believe they have cheated me out of money. I only have Rs. 100 with me and want to go to Vijayawada. Can you help me?

Though I am not fluent in telegu, I could understand what the woman said. I alerted my colleague in english to not to give her money before verifying the truth.

C: Aunt, there is a temple near-by. You can go there and enquire because they do help the people who are in-need.

W: No, no. They wont help me. You can, however, help me by giving the bus-fare amount.

C: No, aunt. The temple-priest will help you. Go, and approach them.

W: GO TO HELL.


It was not for the first time when I have been a witness to such an incident. I have been fooled earlier a earlier by a phony story, and many of my aquantances too have similar incidents to narrate.

The amount of money that is lost in such cases is not much. However, there is a concern here. Such incidents makes us immune /insensitive to the requests that call for genuine help. And, I don't know what will happen to me when I am in need of genuine help in middle of the road. Will anybody stop to listen?