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Editorial on compassion
Compassion is the expression of
acceptance of the world- just for
whatever it is, however people are.
This necessitates the mind-set of
being perceptive rather than
judgemental about any situation or
person. It calls for anticipating
nothing out of the world and not
having any degree of comparison
of where we expect it to be and
where it is.
But why should we develop compassion? The predominant benefit is to
help one be happy and help others too. Compassion is one of the main
tools to reach out to happiness. We develop compassion by
• Practice commonality - Instead of recognizing the diversities, try to
look at others as you look at yourself.
• Practice relief from suffering - Recollect what you heard about your
friend’s problem. Picture yourself in his shoes.
• Kindness is the mantra of life- a few heartfelt words, a brotherly hug,
a pat on the shoulder, a smile is all it takes to show compassion.
• After all, life is too short to live within your bubble of ego and
condescendence, dictate terms and complain
--- Sanjana Harikumar
Quotable Quotes
“Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you,
not because they are nice, but because you are”
--- Anonymous

Poem on Mother
She held me from the day I drew my first
breath
She helped guide me as I took my first step
She disciplined to bend this young tree
She helped heal all the hidden wound in
me
She is now crumbling with age and years of
work
She needs my gentle touch now
She is more beautiful person than can be
She is the sole reason I am me
Compassion in Action
The best way to teach children how to be compassionate is to show them
how to volunteer. Giving to others must be as natural as providing for
themselves. Children should learn the importance of giving back by
volunteering in their community. They can donate clothing, clean up the
local park, visit nursing homes, and more.
Schools should introduce atleast once a month Hands-on experiences to
children and instils in them the desire to help others. A great number of
benefits have been reported to support teaching kindness in schools, best
summed up by the following:
Increased Peer Acceptance, Increased Feelings of Gratitude, Sense of
Belonging, Less Stress, Reduction in Depression, Less Bullying
Did You Know ?
The Akshaya Patra Foundation feeds over 1.4 million children
from 10,661 schools in India. It takes only Rx. 750 to feed a child
for a whole year. Feed a dream. Freed those #HungryForSchool.

Story of the Dog
I was looking out through the window
when I spotted a dog loitering by the
clover-leaf interchange. ‘He seems lost.’
Lanky, tall and dusty, the dog whined
loudly and the sound reverberated all
across the empty, dusty road.
About a half hour later, I opened my front door to find him camping in a
shady corner on my porch. I walked up-to him, knelt down and inspected
his thin wounded paw. He seemed to be depressed for some reason. I
offered him a plate of food and water, but he refused. My heart resonated
with the surge of desire to keep him happy. I felt that he would’ve
wandered through and lost his way. I decided to surf through the
newspapers of this week’s lost and found column. After having clumsily
surfed through multiple pages, I spotted a description that perfectly fit with
the dog found. On ringing up the advertiser and telling her the good news,
she was literally incoherent with joy. She had thought she’d never see her
‘baby boy’ ever again.
In the afternoon, when the sound of the rusty old engine was heard, the
dog, jerked to attention. The dog made best efforts to smother her with
kisses and lick her tears of joy. Amidst the joy of reunion, he broke away
and for the first time reached out to me, rubbed hard against my leg and
said clearly “Thank You” the 2 words loudly. I responded immediately
‘Welcome!’ As the family drove away, I realized in all my experiences of
giving, never have I ever received so much joy from these 2 words.
Quotable Quotes
Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison of personal
desires by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living
creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” ― Albert Einstein

Soldier Poem
"In loving memory
of one who loved his country,
who fought against evil
to preserve what is right and true and
good.
In loving memory
of one who was brave enough
to give his life, his all,
so that those he cared about
would remain safe and free.
In loving memory
of a unique and treasured soldier
who will never be forgotten."
By Joanna Fuchs
Haiku on Old Age
One touch heals my pain
When your heart embraces mine
I feel joy/life again
Did You Know ?
Blue Cross Chennai have been conducing painting, singing and
oratory competition every year to inculcate "Kindness to Animals"

Apple Girl Story
A team of men after their sales meeting were in a great hurry to board
their train that would only stop for a few minutes. With tickets and briefcases,
one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held
a display of baskets of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping
or looking back, they all managed to reach the train in time. All but one. He
paused, took a deep breath, he looked at the blind girl whose apple stand
had been overturned.
He told his buddies to go on without him, and he would take the next train.
He returned to the platform where the apples were all over the floor. The
16 year old blind girl was crying, tears running down her cheeks, and at the
same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce with no one stopping,
and no one to care for her plight.
The salesman gathered up the apples, put them
into the baskets, and helped to set the cart once
again. He noticed that many of them had become
battered and bruised. When he had finished, he
pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, "Here,
please take this Rs.1000 for the damage we did.
Are you okay?". She nodded through teary tears.
He continued on with, "I hope we didn't spoil your
day too badly."
As the salesman started to walk away, the
bewildered blind girl called out to him, "Mister..."
He paused and turned to look back into those
blind eyes. She continued, "Are you Jesus?"
Quotable Quotes
“It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend
the one who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of
true religion. The other is mere business.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

Mother Teresa Quotes
“Not all of us can do great things. But we
can do small things with great love.”
“Kind words can be short and easy to
speak, but their echoes are truly
endless.”
“It's not how much we give but how
much love we put into giving.”
“At the end of life we will not be
judged by how many diplomas we
have received, how much money we
have made, how many great things
we have done.
We will be judged by "I was hungry,
and you gave me something to eat, I
was naked and you clothed me. I was
homeless, and you took me in.”
“We know well that what we are
doing is nothing more than a drop in
the ocean. But if the drop were not
there, the ocean would be missing
something.”
Did You Know ?
Saving just 30% of wasted food can eliminate food insecurity, and
we need your help to do this. Donate and join us in ensuring only
hunger is left behind!

Buddhism Article
The two cornerstones of Buddhism are
wisdom and compassion. Wisdom here
refers to prajna, the truths of life and
Buddha’s teachings.
Compassion refers to karuna, sympathy,
cherishing other living beings, and a
willingness to bear the pain of others. A
combination of the two shows a path to
realizing enlightenment.
The best way to develop Compassion is – practice. Compassion can be
practiced by alleviating suffering wherever it is seen. These actions help us
escape from the “what’s in it for me ?” thinking. While it is impossible, to
eliminate suffering from the world, the very act of helping those in pain is a
step in the right direction.
True compassion expects no reward, nor recognition, since it is rooted in a
deep empathy. True Buddhist compassion has nothing to do with
sentimentality or mere pity. This pity cannot help the other person achieve
victory in life; it cannot truly relieve suffering and impart joy. Compassion is
about empowering others, helping them unlock strength and courage from
within their lives in order to overcome their problems.
Quotable Quotes
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want
to be happy, practice compassion.” ---Dalai Lama

Cancer Girl Story
“Class topper in Mathematics and Science. Best student of the year. This is
marvellous Indhu ! I’m so proud of you!” , he exclaimed, as he read out all
of his daughter’s latest academic achievements. “Appa! Do you remember
the promise you made last month? If I won the award, you promised to give
me whatever I wanted”, Indhu innocently asked.
Ram’s family was not very affluent, but they were happy and content
where they were. He was now worried that his daughter would for an
expensive item,but by not giving her what she wanted, he might leave his
little angel broken-hearted.
“Yes darling”, he replied. Without
hesitation, Indhu spoke up, “I would like
your permission to have my head shaven”.
Almost instantly, his mother-in-law cried
out, “Atrocious! These days children watch
too many serials “. But Indhu was insistent.
Ram and his wife was apprehensive. Her demand puzzled all, and he feared
that she would be bullied at school. But as he looked at all the certificated
and trophies on the dining table. Her happiness is her sole responsibility.
“Yes Indhu”, he murmured. “This cannot happen!”, his wife exclaimed. “No
dear, but isn’t it our duty to fulfil it ?”. He turned to Indhu and, smiling, told
her, “You shall have your head shaven by this evening”. Indhu looked
ecstatic, “Thank you Appa!”.
Did You Know ?
In a campaign "Tangled" Womens' Christian College organised
more than 3500 students donate their hair to make 300 wigs and
gave to Adayar Cancer Institute

The next morning, he walked his daughter to school with her head cleanshaven
and cleansed with yellow sandal (chandan). Her eyes seemed
bigger and brighter as she grinned toothily. Her long curls of hazel-brown
hair, neatly braided in two, were gone without a trace..
Just as she turned and walked to the
gate, another voice cried out.
“Indhu, wait for me!”. Ram turned
around and saw a young boy with a
clean-shaven head, racing to the
gate to catch up with Indhu. Their
shadows grew smaller as they
walked towards the building
A lady walked up to Ram and asked, “Sir, are you Indhu’s father?”. “You
are truly blessed to have such a compassionate daughter. “, she said as
her voice choked with emotion. “My son is suffering from a cancer in the
liver. He is undergoing chemotherapy, which has resulted in hair loss. He
is being teased and bullied in the class for his baldness. Indhu wanted to
ensure that he was not ragged anymore, and promised to support him. I
can’t believe that a beautiful girl would take such a bold step, to show
her friendship and support. Your daughter really is an inspiration to us for
her compassion”.
Tears filled Ram’s eyes and heart filled with pride he looked to where he
had dropped his daughter off.. He knew then that his daughter was truly
beautiful
Quotable Quotes
“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is
that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love!
What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!” --- Anne Frank

Giving Tree Comic

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Edited and published by Sanjana Harikumar.