Mumbai – A City Of Nice People

Being Nice doesn’t cost a lot. Nor does it take a lot of effort. This is a lesson one can learn from Mumbai.

Mumbai, known as the city of dreams, is where people from all over the country come to find success, work and acceptance. There are so many immigrants here, settled from so long ago, that it is difficult to find one common culture in the city. Or rather, this diversity in itself has become the culture of this city. And because most of the Mumbaikars are not really from Mumbai, they understand each other and go out of the way to help and look out for each other. This defines the spirit of Mumbai.

Friday evening, I was waiting for my bus to go home, anticipating a relaxed weekend ahead. I saw this man get off the bus assisting a blind man with him. The duo walked off and disappeared in a street. The incident felt so normal till after a few minutes, I saw the same man walk back and wait at the bus stop. Eventually he got inside the same bus that he got down from.

Maybe if not for this gentleman, someone else might have helped the blind man get to his destination safe. Or maybe he would have managed it on his own. Maybe the duo was familiar or related to each other. Or they might be just strangers to each other. We do not know for sure.

But instances like these are not uncommon in Mumbai. These random acts of kindnesses build the character of the city. They are inspiring, as they are not done to gain anything in return. They are inspiring because they are effortlessly nice. And it is time we give up our cynical reservations about helping others and adapt to this character, in order to make India, a better place to live in.

No matter how well the government, system or organizations work, the individual citizens are going to be the real change makers.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team
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