MY SCHOOL friend Shirish, from Mumbai had worked abroad for forty years. A progressive thinker, ahead of his time, now retired rich, the couple is suave, fashionable, articulate with excellent social manners, speak English with an Australian accent. On my invitation, last December, they landed in Nagpur for a short visit. We had arranged a visit to Tadoba with our guests. Tigers too sensed our intentions to showcase the pride of our region and came out in large numbers and even obliged us with ‘one to one darshan’. Visitors clicked till the memory card of their camera was full. They had a once in a life time experience to talk and share with their friends back home. We were impressed by their clean life style and habits and silently admired their least garbage policy.

While driving back, after having snacks, Shirish rolled down the window and casually chucked out the trash. Shocked, but I kept mum as they were our guests. We stopped at a ‘pan kiosk’ and had ‘pan’. Five minutes later while the car was moving he opened the door and spat out the saliva. Irritated, we remained silent. The sudden change in his behaviour of littering the garbage in open, had frankly shocked and surprised us. Sensing our displeasure, he opened up during dinner. He couldn’t have dared to throw and litter garbage in public places anywhere in foreign lands and had lived a restrained life for all these years, it gives him ‘kick and great thrill’ to live wild and uncultured. He even boasted to his smiling wife “I had always missed this freedom”. A veil of deafening silence descended in the room and left us speechless and irritated. His stature had fallen in our eyes. He was behaving like foreigners who photoshoot with beggars to show and publicise their generosity and India’s poverty. A satanic behaviour of wolf masquerading in the tiger skin, fooling innocent jungle folks. They departed two days later but not before a quirky incident taught them a lesson enough for a lifetime. At a food joint near Shankar Nagar square, my friend tossed the wrapper of sweets, out of car window, a security guard appeared instantly, picked up and handed the wrapper back to my friend with a sarcastic smile. Driving ahead, on the square, two beggar kids knocked on the car window. With a ‘softy ice- cream’ in his hand my friend became generous and offered them his ice-cream cone. “Hum jutha nahi khate,” kids replied in unison.

Our spirits soared up that very instant. Stance taken by our unsung heroes, to stand up, confront and speak for country’s interests was inspiring. My usually silent better half too raised her voice, “Our country is not a beggar but a giver and never ever try to demean and litter this country which has made you whatever you are.” Guests were shocked and bewildered at her stiff tone. At home, they slid into their rooms and got busy packing up. Teary eyed they stood with folded hands to say ‘sorry’ as they touched our feet before boarding the taxi. Whether our guests felt ashamed or insulted, we don’t bother. I say chaps, the magical old slogan “Mera Bharat Mahan” is still relevant and alive and we saw it at Shankar Nagar square. Let’s add a new dimension of love and be sure it’s the right time to fall in love with our city. Charity begins at home.