Doing India’s needy a good turn: Everyone is welcome to pitch in

What may seem weakly linked with positive outcomes on the ground could work wonders over time

- ANURAG BEHAR

Every response to my last column, ‘Let’s focus on poverty too as we pursue broader ambitious goals,” had the same question: “Where is this place?” Extreme poverty, early death, environmental devastation and everything else that must not exist anywhere in the world is there in that place. Any honest assessment leads to only one conclusion—that we cannot be forgiven for the abject neglect of such places. They are inhabited by our own people, so how can we let this go on?

Yet, visible in the same place is the resilience of people, the soaring spirits of young women and a hospital that is an oasis of succour. This mix is not unique. You will find it in much of the country. Nothing can quash the human spirit. Goodness seeks darkness to spread light, like that doctor I mentioned in a hospital.

But the responses revealed much about the responders. About 70% expressed heartbreak and sadness, tinged with hope. This was reassuring. That so many people so distant from that reality can be moved by a short piece of writing tells us that empathy is not dead. There is a reservoir of yearning for action and change in society. We need to tap it better.