Positivity Weekly - Vol 6

Perceptions determine our thoughts, emotions, speech and actions. Let’s spend the next few minutes reading amazingly empowering stories and rediscovering the positivity all around us.

Positivity Weekly will appear on this blog around the weekend. I will bring the best of news from any and every source I can access. I will include my own personal experiences, if they fit. And if you have any apt stories, anecdotes or insights to share, I will put them here with pride. In the long run, your participation will determine the quality of this initiative. Do write in with your contributions and feedback to connect@eshwarsundaresan.com. And if you like this initiative, please share it widely.

Hola! Como estas?

No, my friend. This volume doesn’t have a Spanish theme. I just wanted to highlight the fact that this newsletter derives inspiration from the entire world and belongs to everybody, everywhere. Do peruse through this week’s collection of content and decide for yourself if this claim rings true.

News from the public domain

Weapons of mass protection

Meet Mechai Viravaidya. This visionary Thai gentleman will make you roar with laughter even as he inspires you with his innovative techniques and grit.

He decided to use condoms to fight poverty. Later, he leveraged on the same tool to combat HIV/AIDS. In the past three decades, the initiative he led has literally defused the population crisis of Thailand. Watch this video and be awe-struck by the man who wielded these “weapons of mass protection”.

Those of us who have embarked upon our own version of Mission Impossible will benefit from watching one such video each day, right?

Unusual but impactful Native American message

I won’t even attempt to explain the gist of this message. Suffice to know that it comes to us from a Native American. And it brims with attitude!

Can the Joy of Giving be seen?

Many of us claim that this Joy can indeed be seen. Narayanan Krishnan, an angel from Chennai, is certain about it. He feeds, bathes, shaves and massages the homeless, the destitute, the mentally challenged and other rejected souls of society. The simplicity of his message – as shown here – is equalled only by its profundity. It takes all kinds of people to make the world, eh?

Girl involves deaf parents in carolling

If you simply skim this video, you notice a girl being funny and weird. All she does is make faces while singing Christmas carols. What we are never shown is the fact that she is enacting for the benefit of her hearing-impaired parents.

Snarling leopard finds peace

Animal conservationist Olsen thought 2-way communication with animals was impossible. Man spoke to Big Cat, Big Cat responded. It could never be the other way around. That was before Anna Breytenbach “spoke” to an abused Leopard and literally brought him out of his shell. I myself am uncertain about this video. My rational, sceptical side isn’t fully convinced. But the possibility that animals too can experience catharsis – and such a powerful one at that – opens the cockles of my heart. Have a look for yourself and make what you want of this thought-provoking video.

As told to me

Angel with a briefcase

My dear friend Arup is the most balanced and calm (non-Dalai Lama) person you could ever hope to meet. Trying to provoke him is like trying to intimidate an oak tree with a puff of air. And yet, a few years ago, he experienced a personal trauma that shook him to the core.

He was then working in Ahmedabad, sticking to routine and responsibilities, when his mother called him from Delhi. His father had suffered a mild stroke and had been admitted to the Heart and Lung Institute. Needless to say, Arup and his wife rushed to Delhi as fast as they could.

They arrived on time to see the results of the angiogram. 80% blockage of two arteries. Immediate angioplasty was required. And the cost? “4 lakh rupees. Please deposit the amount immediately so that we can operate without delay.” The tone and message of the doctor was clear and urgent. And, no, delaying the operation was not an option.

In his own words, Arup felt “petrified, contempt, angst and helplessness.” It was a Sunday and the next day was a bank holiday (it was the Eid-Ganesh Chathurthi long weekend). His debit card had a daily transaction limit of 25,000. So did his mother’s. His uncle did not yet believe in debit cards. So, as a family, they could muster a combined liquidity of 50,000 rupees. Where could they arrange for the remaining amount within the next couple of hours?

His uncle called up a list of close friends and emerged from the public phone booth of the Heart and Lung Institute half an hour later, brimming with hope. A certain Mr Awdhesh had sold his Ghaziabad apartment just a couple of days ago. He had cash on him. And at that very moment, this sixty-something gentleman was commuting to the hospital all the way from Chandni Chowk.

True to his word, Mr Awdhesh reached the hospital like a divine apparition. The money he carried in a briefcase – despite threat to his physical safety in a city like Delhi – ensured that the surgery happened right away. And Mr Banerji – Arup’s father, the man with a stentorian voice, ramrod posture and a demeanour that commanded respect – was soon able to walk around and boss around again!

Always a man of few words, Arup conveys his gratitude to Mr Awdhesh by saying: “A friend in need is an angel indeed.”

In conclusion

In the last 30 days, our newsletter has received a viewership in excess of 2000. Sign of things to come? Perhaps. But what keeps me going is the hope that every volume makes a significant impact on at least one person somewhere. So long as the sum total of positivity in the universe increases, our job is done. To ensure that this happens, may I request you to share this newsletter widely? More viewers, more stories, more positivity. The math really is simple. Thankfully, it’s possible to keep Life simple too!

 

To read the previous volume of Positivity Weekly, please click here.
To read the next volume of Positivity Weekly, please click here.