The sun was so harsh that even the walls of Old Delhi looked tired. I was standing in the shade near a small shop when I saw an e-rickshaw break down. Inside were two women and three children, sweating, restless, one of the kids even crying. I thought it would just be another frustrating scene of traffic… but then something happened that changed the mood of the whole street.
The kids looked thirsty, wiping their faces with their hands. One of them started crying softly. The women looked worried, maybe because they were far from home and the heat was too much.
That’s when the shopkeeper, Rahim, quietly stepped out of his shop. He didn’t say anything at first. He just went inside, pulled the shutter halfway down, and came out with a carton of small water bottles.
“Here, please take this,” he said, passing bottles to the kids and the women. They hesitated, maybe thinking he wanted money, but Rahim quickly added, “No charge, it’s too hot today. Just drink.”
As they drank, their faces relaxed a little. One of the women smiled with relief. The crying child stopped and started playing with the bottle cap.
Rahim didn’t stop there. He went back and brought packets of biscuits. “For the kids,” he said simply. The children’s eyes lit up as they tore open the packets.
Someone from the crowd watching asked him, “Bhai, you’re giving everything for free? Won’t you lose business?”
Rahim just shrugged and replied, “If they are thirsty, how can I think of money right now? Work can wait. Humanity can’t.”
That line stayed with me. It was so natural, so simple, but it hit straight to the heart.
Soon, another auto driver came and helped the women get to their destination. Before leaving, they folded their hands towards Rahim and thanked him. He just waved them off, lifted the shutter back up, and quietly returned to his shop.
As I walked away, I thought — in a world where everyone is rushing, sometimes kindness happens in small corners, in the middle of traffic, without any announcement. And if you’re lucky, you get to witness it.