Anantnag, Aug 10,: In a touching display of compassion, residents of Kadipora in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district pooled money and arranged transportation for a labourer from Jharkhand after learning that his mother had died back home.
The labourer, identified as Badal Kumar, had arrived in Kashmir only a couple of days ago and was found weeping outside the Syed Sahaib shrine at Kadipora.
His distress drew the attention of local residents, who approached him and enquired about the reason behind his grief. On learning that his mother had passed away in Jharkhand and that he was struggling to arrange money to return home, the locals came together to help him.
Residents pooled money to meet his travel and other immediate personal expenses and arranged transportation to facilitate his journey to his native Kapra village in Jharkhand.
Locals said they could not remain indifferent after seeing the young labourer crying and worried about reaching his family at a difficult moment.
“We saw him sitting outside the shrine and crying. When we asked him what had happened, we came to know that his mother had passed away and he needed to return home. We felt it was our responsibility to help him,” one of the locals told the news agency Kashmir News Trust.
Another resident said, “He had just come to Kashmir and suddenly lost his mother. At such a time, nobody should be left alone. We only did what any human being should do.”
The residents said helping someone in distress was above considerations of region, language or background.
“Kashmiris have always believed in helping people in difficult times. He was far away from his home and family, so we decided to make sure he reached his village safely,” they said.
The locals arranged the required travel assistance and ensured that Badal could begin his journey to Kapra village, where his family is awaiting his return.
The gesture has once again highlighted the tradition of community support and hospitality in Kashmir, where locals often come forward to assist people in distress irrespective of where they come from. [KNT]
