I was pretty inspired after reading this story here : http://www.helpothers.org/story.php?sid=6023
For the past one week,I have been going on "service walks" every day.I just walk around for a couple of kilometres, looking out for ways to help people.
So far I have handed out warm lunches to two old homeless men on the sidewalk,a loaf of bread to another ,shared cake with a huge bunch of little kids at a fishing village,given fruits to a group of about 16 people who were homeless and afflicted by leprosy,and boxes of peanut candy for two kids of the juice vendor who I'm friendly with.
I feel that in a poor country like India the tradition of anna-daanam or sharing food is one of the best ways to help others.Although at one level it may seem like a quick fix solution,I have tried to be thoughtful and careful on these walks,especially since a lot of people here feel insulted if you offer them food,etc.
When I offered food to a homeless man, he hesitantly asked me if I could also give him the plastic cover in which I had carried the meal.This had a huge impact on me, much more than any positive impact I could ever wish to make in his life.
