Kolkata: I am overwhelmed by the response I have received to my tweet about being served iftar aboard the Ranchi–Howrah Shatabdi Express on Monday evening. Not only did the post go viral on social media, but it was also picked up by several major Indian media organisations, including The Times of India, Indiatimes, NDTV (both English and Hindi), Hindustan Times, The Indian Express, and PTI. It was even reported by international media. The message reached millions of people, and thousands reacted to it on Twitter, Facebook, and the news websites that carried it. The sequence of events made me think about writing this piece.
Many felt I should not have tweeted, given the present atmosphere where every act of love or peace is questioned, cornered, or even punished. They expressed concern that the men who served me iftar might lose their jobs. Many believed that I should have credited the pantry staff rather than Indian Railways. Others argued that there should also be special meals for people of other faiths when they fast.
First and foremost, I would like to say that faith is a personal matter for me. I prefer not to speak much about it in public life. The gesture of the pantry workers and my reaction to it were both genuine and spontaneous. Receiving the iftar was special because I had neither demanded nor requested it. In fact, I was carrying my own homemade iftar. I mentioned that I was fasting because I like to sip hot tea after breaking my fast. Therefore, I had requested the pantryman to serve my tea a little later. I had to explain the reason for my request because catering staff on trains like the Shatabdi and Rajdhani follow a fixed schedule for serving snacks, meals, and tea. After I mentioned that I was fasting, the pantry workers cross-checked with me once again before serving me a platter for iftar.
The man who brought the iftar to me was Mr Prasad.
I first thanked both the people involved in the process and later tweeted about it.
In Times of Hate, Kindness Deserves a Voice
It is not that I do not understand the repercussions of tweeting in the current atmosphere of our country, which has become so toxic that every act of kindness attracts vilification.
But when we tweet about the inadequacies we experience during our train journeys, why should I hesitate to share an act of kindness with the world? And while doing so, how can we ignore that this kindness came through the Indian Railways, under whose services I experienced it? Yes, I realised later that I should also have tagged IRCTC’s Twitter handle.
Netizens also pointed out that, given the present situation where even the Indian Army had to delete a similar tweet after a news channel ran a campaign against Army personnel for sharing iftar with Kashmiris, I should not have tweeted.
Then how will people know about the efforts of the pantry staff? And, being a ground reporter, I still believe that most Indians want love and peace and appreciate even the smallest gestures. The fact that the post went viral only reinforces that belief.
Also, why can’t we take a stand whenever any injustice is meted out to the ambassadors of humanity?
Here, in this case, since Minister of State for Railways Darshana Jardosh appreciated my tweet, I can only hope that it will bring good to both of them for their act of kindness.
As far as providing special meals is concerned, IRCTC already provides them during Navratri. If the catering service wishes, it can certainly add more such options to its list.
For now, we should celebrate such real-life heroes of our country.
