You may have wondered why almost every post of mine begins with a quote? Well, I believe that sometimes short and few words own immense wisdom to inspire our minds and read ahead. In today's world, where everyday news are flooded with negativity, war and narrow-minded people, that tiny breath of fresh air is suffice to hold us back to reality and realize that ' Life's indeed good! '
Being selfless and kind in current-life scenario is not only a feat of achievement but also rare. Men are killing men, people are dying of jealousy, pride and ego. The world is definitely turning towards the evil. But, in such a context, when you read about a simple and poor farmer feeding birds off his own farm brings those tears of happiness to our eyes and brims our heart with a little inspiration.
Then give to the world the best you have. And the best will come back to you.
- Madeline Bridges
Yes, you read it right! We all know the current condition of Indian Agriculture. With the uneven climatic conditions in India, followed by drought and improper modern agricultural methods applied to farming, it is nearly impossible to achieve a good amount of cultivation and hence, due to ' failure of crops ', many farmers tend to do suicide, leading to a ruined family life.
There's an estimated number of 5650 unfortunate farmers committing suicide every year, amidst which 2568 farmers are from Maharashtra.
Amidst this scenario, can we imagine someone who leaves his entire crop in the field to feed the birds?
Yes birds! Ashok Sonule is a farm laborer in Gadmudshingi village- 15 kms from Kolhapur, Maharashtra. His sons- Prakash and Vilas, and brother Balu, also work as laborers on other's farms in order to feed a family of twelve.
Sonule family owns a small piece of barren land of about 0.25 acres, which has never earned them even one meal due to scarcity of water. The farms near this land hardly yield any crops as well.
Your greatest test is when you are able to bless someone else while you are going through your own storm.
- Anon
Just like every year, in 2015 too, Sonule sowed seeds of Jowar in his own land during June. Like always, he didn't expect much to come of it. The severe drought in the months that followed convinced him that he was right- there would be hardly any crop to speak of. The neighboring farms too were going through the same crisis.
But to his surprise, within a few months the Jowar crop grew, ripened and was ready to reap.
But, a Babool tree stood flourishing in the middle of the farm and it got very difficult for them to work under the thorny tree.
He then decided to cut it but, just as he was about to do so, he noticed that there were many birds inhabiting the tree- they were totally dependent on his crops for food as the neighboring lands were still barren.
This made Sonule think of why only his farm flourished regardless of the drought and the neighbors' were still without crops?
The merry chirping of the birds made him feel that the fully-reaped crops were meant for the birds. This was no less than a miracle. He hence decided to take care of them and dedicate his entire farm yield as their source of food. He also noticed that the birds didn't have water to thrive upon and hence, he and his family installed a few small pots under the tree.
"Ya pakranna suddha daana, paani ani rahayla jagaa hawi naa. Mee tyana asa kasa sodaycha?" (These birds also need food, water and shelter. How could I leave them alone?) says Ashok.
To leave the entire crops for feeding the birds while struggling everyday to earn a living and feeding a family of 12 is an act of sheer selflessness, kindness and true heroism. This short and simple story inspired me and taught a life-long lesson that helping others while we are drenched in distress keeps humanity alive.
Do you have any such inspiring story to share? Let's discuss up on these beautiful source of inspirations and make our lives a little more good and purposeful! :)
Image Courtesy: Better India
Content inspired by an article published on Better India