Inspiring stories

As I read through wknd. this week, I found myself on a roller- coaster ride of emotions. Both the heartwarming story on happiness ( Happiness is… helping others, Apr 8) and the heartbreaking story of Marisa Calo (‘ I want my daughter to remember the good times after I’m gone’) brought on an avalanche of sentiment. Many social experiments have proved that the best kind of happiness is theone we derive when we help our brethren. As Lina says, “Everything that separates us from others is irrelevant, because underneath it all, we are just the same.” It is wonderful to see Lina and Jonny from The Sameness Project showcase this through meaningful work that helps the community! The same goes for Zareen Khan and Juhi Yasmeen Khan, who have found ways to empower women. Mina and Ali have taken ‘ clowning’ to a whole new level and are doing incredible work to brighten the lives of those who are miserable or sick. It is said that ‘ each day we make deposits in the memory banks of our children’, and Marisa Calo is not only doing this diligently but also documenting it for posterity. What a po ignant and thoughtful gesture by her to leave an inerasable part of herselfl f withi h h her preciousi daughter Avia even after she’s gone! I hope that Marisa lives to a ripe old age and that she and her daughter get to read this unique book together many times over, relishing every moment in happiness and sheer bliss. Gopal Nair, by email