Diamond's are forever

Have heard that so many times, till the last week , when on 3rd February in Bengaluru , I found my chain lying on the floor with the diamond pendent missing. I had to leave for a workshop , the cab was waiting for me and I couldn't find the pendent, then. Came back in the evening, searched all over again.Mailed Mumbai and Bengaluru airport, wrote to the airlines, called up the relevant cab drivers . Mail from Uber came, that the driver Govind Reddy is not well , he is hospitalized, pendent not found. Next day on, started receiving calls and messages that both the airports and in the light, the pendent was not to be found. Ofcourse everyone was sorry about it. Husband supported if its gone we cant do much about it. My sister had gifted it to me, so it holds a special place in my heart.

I knew it was somewhere , still didn't know. Went to Iskcon, asked Krishna about it, he smiled. I went back to Mumbai. Got busy with work and life, on 9th morning, I received a call totally out of the blue , from the Cab driver of Bengaluru, yes Mr. Govind Reddy in his Bengulurian Hindi ;”Madam pendent mil gaya” (Madam, your pendent is found) where are you? I told him I am in mumbai and I am visiting Bengaluru tomorrow. Today, I went straight to his home from the airport . As he was not well , he couldn't drive and give my pendent back.

His only son, who is pursuing MBA , first semester , diligently cleans his father’s car, found the pendent near stepney , it had slipped there somehow. his wife , Shailaja threw the artificial looking cheap pendent in the dust bin, as it was set in white gold. As she was busy with the husband’s health , she couldn't threw the garbage out , She vaguely mentioned to her husband that an artificial pendent is found in the car. Her husband in turn shouted at her that it is not a cheap artificial pendent albeit a costly one and Madam from airport has misplaced it.

I went to their home, a decent house they were very warm host, to me. We chatted. I had filter Kaapi. They were the givers, they gave me the pendent, the warmth, I was just a plain receiver. I offered them cash as reward, they both refused. Ma had sent a box of sweets , I am glad they accepted that on insistence. I, a lifestyle photographer from Mumbai had to request umpteen times for their images. I am humbled, that they agreed.

This incident is not just about the diamond which went form my neck to dustbin to have finally found me back , in a different unknown city but it is the incident about the Diamond of the world’s most dynamic city , Bengaluru, who is making this world a better place just by being there. I found a real diamond, in this city of Bengaluru in that small house. A couple with values and honesty and hopes and prayers for their only son’s career. May we have more such diamonds in the world. If you travel in Bengaluru and your App shows Govind Anna as your driver, your know you and your belongings are in safe hands.

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Meenal Jaiswal

10th February 2017

Bengaluru, India

#humansofbengaluru #HonestyExists #Bengaluru #TooGoodToBeTrue#DynamicCity

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