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Unlike every year when we would criticize the government or enjoy the holiday of Independence Day by sleeping, this 15th August we decided to celebrate the day as a smile day. So went out in the morning at 7 am with a thought of creating something wonderful together. We just moved out of our house with a smile to make someone else smile.
 
I was wishing to connect to an elderly person for the past couple of days. And as we walked in the park, we met this 92 year old Grandfather. We had a hearty conversation around studies, life partner, future, Mumbai and much more. He also said we should meet him sometime as he is in the park every evening and morning for a 5 km long walk. Spending time with him was one of the best highlights of the day. After that we hoisted the flag in the park and went around with the posters wishing everyone we met with big smiles. So many people stopped by to talk to us and left us with blessings. We sang patriotic songs. A lot of older gentlemen also joined us and we all sang together while walking around the garden.

Then while walking we saw a man cleaning the road so we pulled out our jhaadus (brooms) and helped him, made him sit and offered him lemon water :) and cleaned the whole patch of road. After that we planted a tree and then breakfast ended with a small sharing circle :) We walked along the road with smile posters and reached the station. We cleaned the platform and offered more lemon water to so many people there. One uncle cleaning there just said ‘I am your father and you are my daughter’ and then shared so many things of his life like he worked there since last 35 years and how loyal he was.
 
We went to an ice-cream shop and the owner was totally moved and offered us ice-creams as a gift. In evening we found ourselves at a church and then a gurudwara. At the gurudwara we did some cleaning and the people there first explained to us that cleaning here is to be done to make our inner selves silent and. They had kept some tea and toast ready for us as we finished our cleaning. It was really satisfying :) Then we went to the cypress garden and gave smileys to people there. And again the smileys broke into wonderful conversations with walkers. They were really happy to see us spreading smileys. As they came to know that we were roaming and walking since morning 7.30 they offered us to come out and have something with them. They were so concerned about we had proper lunch or not. We also gave them tulsi plants. They also asked us for some smileys so that next morning they could tag someone else and make someone smile. This was the best thing of day.
 
Also when we gave people smileys we told them to make someone else smile :) They were so over joyed one of the uncle said ‘I am like your father and whenever you people need any any any thing just come here and I will help you out’. He also explained us the spritual importance of tulsi. And we ended our day with that conversation. There was so much joy on everyone’s face and no one was ready to leave that place and go. Everyone wanted to do something more. We all were so energetic :)

But after coming home and flowing into memories I just got so confused. Like last time we met daily heroes and thanked them. At that time also I felt like I had received so much. But this time we were just holding smile posters and gave smileys. But most of the old people and also some more were over-joyed. Some asked us to come to our place, some said they would always be there for us, some telling that they are our father and hundreds of people blessed us. All we had to offer them was a smiley and a smile. Nothing else. 

As we reached home later that day, we saw that our friends in another suburb of Mumbai were upto something equally incredible. A few of them had stepped out on the streets of Kandivali to honour the unknown heroes who served their community - guards, policemen and cadets at the fire-station. Can't help but hold a smile on my face :)

~ Jai Jagat ~
 

Posted by Drishti Trivedi on Sep 1, 2013 | permalink