The Remains of the Day

I remember seeing the Tom Cruise movie 'The Day After' - a modern city transformed by tormented skies, cracked roads, lack of power, crowds on the streets and sheer chaos. The director aimed at depicting a world in dysfunction, where every man/women was faced with individual struggles to just survive.
I stepped out of the theatre into a Mumbai street - overcast polluted sky, stalled traffic, crowds and shattered streets, and thought "Where's the difference?". The difference is, as someone once said, "India's infinite capacity to absorb suffering." That, and the number of beggars on the street.

The other, more positive difference is the warmth that permeates our world of broken streets, open drains, glass skyscrapers and brilliant brains.

Here is an attempt to channel that supressed positive energy into concrete action.
You may feel you can't make much of a difference, but as they say: "Doing good work here is like peeing in a pair of dark pants. Nobody notices, but you get a warm feeling."

So, whether you do it as an instant 'pick-me-up' when you are depressed, or to be a blessing to someone less fortunate, for tax benefits, for the fun of working with a group of new friends, or because every single established religion in the world specifies 'good deeds' as your sole possible investment in your soul (your insurance for the after-life) -- just do it!

For those of you who want to help out, to improve your surroundings or the fate of the less priviledged who share your city's premises - in areas that interest you, in ways that would least inconvenience you - here is a list of things you can do to help.

Quick tips to help out: