Aasha Khosa

Last week when Akhil Sharma was on his way from his house in Manimajra to Mohali, while crossing through Chandigarh he noticed a mob at sector 43.

Always on a lookout for a person to offer his help - for very personal reasons - Akhil got down from his car and saw a 65-70 year-old woman crying bitterly and speaking loudly in a Himchali dialect. “Minjo key kara, kuthey jawan (What shall I do; where shall I go),” she cried as the stunned onlookers seemed too shocked to even react.

Akhil spoke to the woman, who, later identified herself as Rajjo Devi, a resident of a village located between Palampur and Baijnath in Himachal Pradesh.

Rajjo Devi lives beyond these hills; Akhil's memorabilia of his journey to Palampur

Akhil Sharma was no stranger to such situations; he has made it a point to help, even in a small way, people as gratitude to the divine intervention of three young men who had saved him, his wife and two daughters, exactly 11 years and 10 days ago from a near-fatal road accident.

It was with their help the family reached the hospital in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, in time for medical help and survived.

He assured Rajjo he would take her home and also thought of hiring a taxi for her.

The woman appeared to be from a small village; from her appearance, she looked poor. She was carrying her stuff in a sac generally given as packing for rice or flour.

On second thought, Akhil felt sending her alone may not be safe for her in such desperate times of Covid-19.

A Heartwarming Story

He decided to drive down to her home – 250 km away. “Mataji fikr na karo; aapko Ghar pachunchatey hein (Mother don’t worry; you will reach home),” he told her while ushering her into the rear set of his car.

Akhil Sharma is the owner of an agency dealing in branding and signage for companies. He has survived the accident that left him with bionic arms and a leg and with a 50 per cent disability. His wife has 25 per cent diability.Yet there is no way his spirit can be dented.

Rajjo kept crying for nearly the first two hours of their journey and Akhil was trying to cheer her up. He tried to calm her by making her speak with her son on his mobile. Soon a tired Rajjo had dozed off in the seat.

Initially, Akhil was a little scared for giving a lift to a stranger in Covid times. As he entered Himachal and was mesmerised by its scenic splendour he went back to his principle that he must help others without thinking much.

Palampur Townsquare

Akhil remembered the fateful day when he was driving his family to Katra for visiting the shrine of Goddess at Vaishno Devi and a truck had crashed their car on the highway near Mukerian in Punjab. A stranger passing by helped his wife to come out of the mangled car. Then on seeing a wallet with Rs 50,000 inside the car he changed his mind. Instead of extricating a profusely bleeding Akhil who was stuck between the seat and the steering, he pulled away from his wrist his watch and gold ring and ran away along with the money.

It was three young local boys, Aman, Mintu and ... (forgets the third name) who were tipsy and yet helped the family reach hospital in Hoshiarpur hospital and saved their lives.

Akhil says he took 720 stitches without anesthesia since the hospital had run out of it and waiting for the drug would have resulted in more bleeding. He told the surgeon to go ahead without making him unconscious!

Akhil Sharma's disability card

The three men spent their own money to get medicines and sutures and arrange an ambulance for him and his wife to reach hospital in time.

“They were angels and I am friends with them for all my life. They didn’t even accept the money my relatives tried to give them,”  Akhil recalled.

As he crossed Palampur, the picturesque town famous for tea gardens and as Rajjo’s son had told her, called him on phone. A few km away, he found a man standing on the roadside signaling him to stop.

Rajjo and her son hugged each other and cried. He offered to drop them home and the young man refused.

On his way back after dropping Rajjo

Rajjo’s son offered him Rs 1,000. “It was small denomination money and soiled notes and I could make out he was into some small retail trade and not so well off. But his dignity left me feel small.” Akhil told Awaz-the Voice on phone.

Since he had to return before the night curfew, Akhil hurriedly said goodbye to the mother and son and left without even taking a picture on his mobile. He however hopes one day Rajjo's son would call him and they would reconnect, as he does with all others whom he is able to help.

Akhil has however preserved pictures of the scenery on the way home that day. In fact, it was through these pictures that he shared with some of his friends that we reached him.

Akhil has so far donated blood 100 times; his standing instructions to chemists outside the hospital in Chandigarh where he was treated for months, that they must give medicines free of cost to the visibly needy people and send the bill to him. He has helped so many people. “I feel I owe it to humanity for the three boys who saved us that day personified human good; I can never pay back enough to them.”

He visits the village of three boys as often as he can. "I visit Phungha (name of the village) as often as I can for I believe I have a lot to repay to the people of the entire village." he says.