This is what makes India special

A lot has been said about India's politicians and her land mafia and their rapacious greed which stops at nothing. The cloudburst, and the floods and landslides that have followed in Uttarakhand and parts of Himachal, were exacerbated by the doings of the politician-land mafia who have mindlessly plundered the region. Hundreds dead, tragedy after tragedy, house collapses, property worth crores lost, the unending suffering ...

Amidst all this, come stories of how our security forces have been helping out. If it were not for them and their selfless service, one shudders to think what more could  have happened. These men, have the nation's gratitude. However, we treat them badly. Our parliamentarians have grudged them small pay hikes, while giving themselves hefty increases. That is another story.

Here I want to focus on what makes India special. It is the generosity of the ordinary Indians. People who have little, but give it unstintingly. These are the people, who rush to help whenever tragedy strikes....while our politicians quibble over turf and upmanship and our rich are slow to open their purses.

I have put together stories that are indeed moving and celebrate that special quality we call humaneness:

Grocery store keeper and friends feed over 800 a day

Chennai pilgrims bring home a hero

Youth took charge

Villagers rescue 43 foreigners

Relief camps by locals

This one celebrates the IAF women pilots
IAF women pilots to the rescue