The Ashoka Page

- Mahatma Gandhi

My brother has a good friend Reddy. In their student days in IIT-Bombay, Reddy was the student mess (food service) coordinator. One day Reddy was called upon to solve a strange problem. He found a thin, simple looking man in his thirties empty out his pockets to yeild three rupees (less than 10 cents) in change and ask if it was enough for a meal.

Reddy proceeded to ask him what the deal was and where he came from. Turned out he had a bachelors from a small town in India. He had a family back home who were starving and he had come to Bombay to look for work. Reddy, refused to take the money and let him eat, and asked him to have food there from then on. This man thanked Reddy profusely several times to the point of embarrassing him.

Reddy Never saw him again...

A Pakistani man living on the Indo-Pak border was caught with bombs on the Indian side and held for questioning. He related that he had a family in Pakistan and that his family was threatened if he did not set off a bomb in India. So he did and he recieved money for his work. He bought food and clothes with that money and took it home. He says "I never saw such joy in my faimily's eyes ever before". He continued to do these acts, killing and maiming men, women and children - "I know what i am doing is bad, i know i am going to hell and it does not matter".

Who do we shed tears for?

Who do we blame?