In Bodh Gaya, India, the last Sunday of the month is a day of giving. The morning of May 25 began with the fresh, cool air that follows an early rain. At the Tzu Chi Bodh Gaya Office, ten teams of volunteers and community members gathered, ready to interact and provide care to families in need. This month, however, they carried something new alongside the essential supplies: storybooks, ready to open a new chapter of hope for the community’s youngest members.

A Community United in Service

The day began with a briefing. Sweety Raj played a video of recent volunteer activities and outlined the day's plan. Among the seventy-two volunteers was Satish Sinha, the principal of Tikabigha Primary School and a regular participant in these distributions. He stood up to share a concern. "There is a villager who is very poor and has been sick for the last two or three months," he explained, hoping for assistance. Sweety promised to follow up on the case, ensuring the man would receive the care he needed.

Soon, a fleet of twenty-one tuk-tuks, laden with supplies, set off under the morning sun. Each team of five to seven volunteers was assigned to visit two or three families. They carried a month's worth of necessities for each household—cooking oil, rice, whole wheat flour, beans, potatoes, onions, and plant-based meat. The distribution also saw the return of kindness, with volunteers collecting 28.6 kilograms of rice from "rice banks" and 686 rupees (about 8 USD) from bamboo coin banks, symbols of the community's spirit of giving back, no matter how little they have.

A Daughter's Care, A Mother's Smile

In Bakraur village, the seventh team, led by humanistic culture teacher Deepa Singh, arrived at the home of Dhanpatiya Devi. Upon entering, Deepa noticed the scattered slippers on the floor and immediately bent down to arrange them neatly. Dhanpatiya lives with her son and two daughters, one of whom is blind and the other lives with a mental illness.

Deepa treats Dhanpatiya like her own mother. During her regular visits, she helps trim her nails and those of her blind daughter. In return, Dhanpatiya offers a simple, warm smile that fills Deepa with a profound sense of joy. Their bond is deep; Dhanpatiya always calls her Beti, the Hindi word for daughter.

As she received the supplies, Dhanpatiya pressed her palms together in a gesture of gratitude. Unable to pronounce the full name of Master Cheng Yen, she simply said "Yen" with a sincere bow, a moving expression of her appreciation. Principal Satish Sinha, who was part of the team, knelt to embrace Dhanpatiya's three grandchildren. "In that moment, I felt I needed to have more compassion," he reflected.

Walking the Path of Compassion

The team's next visit was just a short walk away, but a muddy path stood between them and the family's home. Principal Satish led the way, stepping firmly into the thick mud that clung to his shoes. The mud was a small mark of the effort required to reach those in need.

They entered a small, three-square-meter rented room, home to a couple and their two sons. The space offered little privacy, with a single window and a shared corridor. The wife was waiting, but her husband, who suffered from leg pain, was not there. Volunteer Kshtij Raj learned that he had gone out to look for work despite his condition. "I was happy and moved for this family," Kshtij said. "It means he is gradually recovering his health."

Kshtij himself was nursing an injury and could not lift heavy items, but he insisted on coming. "We should help everyone," he said, his eyes filled with gratitude. "Mutual help brings us together. This is what the foundation has taught me."

The wife expressed her thanks, her smile as bright as the blue sky outside. "Thank you for giving us these things," she said. "They allow our family to live a very comfortable life."

A New Chapter of Hope

This month's distribution introduced a new element: reading. Volunteers brought storybooks to share with the children, hoping to spark a love for reading and instill positive values. Arvind Kumar, a teacher from Yoshnuri Technical College, had eagerly signed up for the charity day. He was delighted to read to the children, making them promise to eat their fruits and vegetables daily. "I will ask you if you did it when I visit next time!" he told them with a joyful smile.

In Ganga Bigha village, Tzu Chi Youth volunteers Priyanshu Kumari and Ravi Kumar gathered sixteen children and read them two fables: "The Crow and the Pitcher" and "The Black Goat and the White Goat on the Bridge." The children listened intently. Afterward, a little girl named Neha stood up to share what she had learned. "The story of the black and white goats taught me that classmates should not fight and should live in peace," she said. "I really like listening to stories. Please continue the monthly storybook sharing sessions."

The day concluded with a touching farewell. Malaysian volunteer Shee Loong Ding (陳思隆) was returning home, and the children he had befriended were sad to see him go. They surrounded him, holding on to his hands, and formed a long "train" to escort him to his tuk-tuk, their affection a powerful testament to the bonds that had been formed. On this day of giving, the stories read aloud were not just for the children; they were chapters in a larger story of love, care, and human connection being written in Bodh Gaya.

Written by Akash Kumar and Mei-Hui Li (李美慧)

Source: 慈善日愛與關懷發放 共讀故事書布善種子