We often come across strangers who do something to help us when we are in a bad fix and then they disappear and we never see them or hear from them again. Even though they do things they did not need to do and nomatter how grateful we feel at that moment, we often mention them a few times and forget about them after a while. Their heroism is never rewarded, mentioned or remembered.
Recently I met one such person while travelling from Jalgaon to Pune. We had boarded the bus without prior reservation and there was only one seat available. The conductor said that a few people would be getting off in about 2 hours and we could then take their seats. So I let my mother occupy the vacant seat and I thought I would stand until I get a seat. It was about 11pm and I was the only person standing in the darkness of the bus when the conductor took pity and offered me a seat behind the driver and told me that I could sit there until I got a proper seat. Right when I was more or less comfortably seated behind the driver a man approached us and said something to the conductor in Marathi which I did not understand. The conductor then asked me to step inside and on doing so I understood that there was a couple with a kid sitting right next to my mother. On observing the entire situation, the husband had volunteered to sit outside in the cold behind the driver while I occupied his AC reserved seat.
I do not know his name. Neither do I remember his face. But his act of heroism is something which deserved some mention somewhere. So I decided to write a post on him to pay tribute to him and to all the other everyday heros who save the day but whose names we never get to know.
If you have had such similar experiences please feel free to share. :)
