Compassion: Byju Joseph

Compassion is just an action of kindness towards others that joins the entirety of mankind. It does not need much more effort or huge amounts to spend. There must be a will to listen and find others' circumstances, their problems, feelings, hardships etc. Sometimes our kind words can heal someone, our smiles can satisfy others. Compassion is an urge within us to help others when they are in need. Compassion and cooperation are very important factors among doctors that will lead to a speedy recovery of their patients.  Showing kindness to our fellow creatures is human nature. Love and compassion are the fundamentals of human existence. Compassion is the most impressive power on the planet that can cross the boundaries of caste, religion, nationality etc. This is the thing that prompts people to think about others and help others with a caring nature. The satisfaction that we get from compassionate action is definitely more precious than anything we may surrender simultaneously.

It is so sad to say that in modern life people who are living in cities do not know who are residing nearby. Those people who are living in the same flat are not familiar with each other. They do not know who their neighbours are. There is a lack of communication and personal relationship.  These are the essentials of human life in a society.  Nobody is having time to spend with others. Everyone is busy with their own matters.

But there are people who completely dedicated their lives to others. I would like to share a real example of the compassionate action of a person named P.U. Thomas(Thomas Chettan) who is still continuing his service actively for poor people in the native village of Athirampuzha in the district of Kottayam in Kerala. He was born in a poor family. At the age of sixteen, he was admitted to the hospital for surgery. For more than two weeks he was in the general ward of a medical college. The pathetic conditions of suffering poverty and the ill-treatment of patients by the hospital staff got struck at him.  He could not forget the reality. He made a strong decision to help needy people. But he was also from a poor family. He was in search of a job. Finally, he got a job in the men’s hostel of Medical College, Kottayam as a mess boy. The miserable conditions of patients were still alive in his mind. He took permission to give the leftover food of the hostel to the patients. He started his service with endless happiness. He could be able to spend some money from his low salary for poor patients to buy medicines. Seeing the heart touching service, some medical students also started to donate money to him. Gradually he approached the nearby hotels for food that remained excess. They all cooperated with him.

His services continued for more than two decades. After that, he was able to register a trust named ‘NAVAJEEVAN’ with the help of some generous people. He was able to provide shelter for mentally disordered patients. Later on, with the help of some voluntary organisations, he was able to get some land property to construct a building to enhance his service.  Now it has become the shelter for many orphans, old people, patients etc. The trust is providing many facilities like food, accommodation, blood donation, medical aid etc. His compassionate action is an inspiration for all

Byju Joseph
The Fabindia School
bjh@fabindiaschools.in