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4 November 2026
Imagine an elderly passenger at a railway station, standing beside two heavy bags. The train is due in a few minutes. The passenger keeps looking at the platform display, then at the bags, unsure how to manage both.
The porter does not make a speech or ask for thanks. He lifts one bag, walks with the passenger to the correct coach and places it safely by the seat. Before leaving, he checks the coach number once more. The passenger offers him a note. The porter accepts the agreed fee, nods and returns to the platform.
Nothing extraordinary has happened. No crowd gathers; no one records the moment. Yet the small care involved is unmistakable. The porter has noticed a difficulty before it becomes a crisis and has done his work with attention.
Much of what makes public life humane is built from such ordinary competence. A task done carefully can protect another person’s time, confidence and dignity.
Not every good deed needs a grand name. Sometimes it is simply work performed with consideration.
Rajat Chandra Sarmah, Guwahati, Assam, India, Instagram @rajatchandrasarmah, YouTube: conversewithasmile, email rajatchandrasarmah@gmail.com
