Just like Frodo succumbed to the power of the ring in ‘Lord of the Rings’ and refused to give it up, it is very easy for us to feel the same way about money. Fortunately, some of us are made of sterner stuff and successfully keep the temptation at bay. For instance, the Mumbai auto driver who returned Rs.66,000 mistakenly left behind by a passenger.
Dhanaji Jagdale, a 54-year-old resident of Satara in Maharashtra found Rs.40,000 cash lying at a bus stop on Diwali and returned it to the rightful owner. When offered Rs.1,000 as a reward, he only accepted Rs.7 bus fare to get to his native Pingali village.
Hindustan Times quoted the good samaritan saying,
“I had gone to Dahiwadi for Diwali for some work and returned to the bus stop. I found a bundle of notes nearby. I asked people around and finally found a man distressed and looking for something. I soon found out the cash bundle belonged to him. He told me the bundle contained Rs 40,000. He had collected it for his wife’s surgery. He wanted to give me Rs 1,000 but I took only Rs 7 as the bus fare to my village is Rs 10 and I only had Rs 3 in my pocket.”
According to Business Standard, he has already been felicitated by Satara BJP MLA Shivendraraje Bhosale, former MP Udayanraje Bhosale, and several other organizations. But he does not accept any cash saying,
“I think by taking someone’s money, one would not get satisfaction. The only message I want to spread is that people should live honestly.”
Thank you, sir, for showing us that good deeds are their own reward.