Minor but profound incident

An incident that took place in my life long back, about 7 years back came back to my mind this afternoon very powerfully. Something that could otherwise be dismissed and even forgotten as a daily occurence in India has, for whatever reason, been etched in my mind's memory forever.

It was May 2003. I had gone to India for my sister's wedding. All preparations for the wedding were going on in full swing and just a couple of days before the wedding, I had gone to a men's clothing outlet, Raymonds, to buy my dad a nice suit for the occasion. I was in the rear seat of our car, simply looking out the window while the driver we had employed for the occasion was driving the car.

We stopped at these traffic lights in the Basheer Bagh area and suddenly there came, as if from nowhere, this old beggar, perhaps in his late 70s or early 80s, stooped low and his stomach almost bent in. It was very evident that this man had not eaten for days. He came and with desperate tears in his eyes earnestly begged for something and said that he hadn't eaten anything for a long time. All the while, the driver of our car was simply scolding this old beggar, telling him off and to not bother us. But something within me just couldn't dismiss him. My heart went out to this old beggar. Those tears in his eyes, that pleading and desperate look, his frame bent low and stomach turned in, I haven't forgotten that sight till this day. I simply took what I had in my shirt pocket, a 5 rupee coin and gave it to him. His face immediately lighted up, and this time it was tears of joy in his eyes. He said to me many times, over and over, "devudu ninnu challagunchuthaadu, devudu ninnu deevisthaadu babu (God will bless you son)". Those words are ringing in my ears till this day.

I have always wondered if he was the one Jesus was referring to when he said in Matthew 25:35 "For I was hungry, and you gave me food...".

Obviously I have no idea if that old man is even alive now or has fallen victim to his hunger pangs eventually. But those words of blessing from an old beggar has meant a lot to me. God bless his heart, if he is still alive.