The Kharisma Magazine The Kharisma Magazine (Full) Premiere Issue | Page 196

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I had seen in the past, though. Babu started thanking us for
the opportunity we had given him as he started polishing
the shoes. He spent a solid five to ten minutes making sure
that he did a thorough job of removing every single mark on
each shoe. During that time, we chatted with Babu about his
life. special box full of shoe materials?”
It turns out that the boy had lost his father just a few years
earlier, due to health problems. As a result, Babu was
officially considered the “head of his household.” He had a
mother, three brothers, and two sisters. He was the oldest
out of his brothers and sisters, so they all relied on him for
support. His entire family was struggling financially. Yet,he
had a vision of one day buying a special box filled with
all types of shoe laces, threads, and coloured polishes so
he could offer his services to more customers and make
additional money to support his family. broken brush.” Without any
further hesitation, my father
and I made up our minds to
buy the shoe materials that
Babu needed to expand his
business.
Out of curiosity, my father and I asked Babu how much the
special box of shoe materials would cost. He practically had
the number memorized. “900 rupees,” Babu spurted out. I
was sure I heard the number wrong.
“Did you say 900 rupees?” I asked. 900 rupees is only about
$13.20 – basically what the average Westerner spends on a
meal at a restaurant.
“I could easily make up to
300 rupees per day. Right
now, most people don’t
trust me to polish their
shoes since I only have one
I honestly thought Babu was
going to break down in tears
when we told him what we
planned to do. We all went
together to a small shoe
store and bought everything
he needed. Before we parted
ways, Babu also asked me
if he could see a dollar bill
from the United States. He
had never seen one, and he
thought it would be a great
gift for his mother.
“How much of the 900 rupees do you have?” we inquired.
“I make about 50 rupees total every day, and I have to use
that money to pay for my bus fare and buy food for my
family, so I’m not able to save anything,” Babu responded.
“How much more money could you make if you had that
After being able to spend that much time with Babu and hear
his story, I have no doubt that he will be successful in the future.
His work ethic was unique. If you ask me, a $14 investment to
potentially turn somebody’s life around is worth every single
penny. What I thought was most remarkable about Babu’s
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story was the fact that I did not hear him complain once in the
time that we spent with him. Even when he was saying that
his father passed away or that
he had very little money, not
once did he even show signs of
negative thinking. Instead, he
seemed grateful for everything
he had.
He talked about how amazing
his mom was. He bragged
about how great his younger
brother was becoming at
polishing shoes. I think most
people in his situation would
sit back and feel sorry about
how unlucky they were. Babu
lived such a simple and humble
life, but one filled with the most
happiness I have seen in a very
long time. This story just goes
to show how simple the act of
giving back can be.
There is no need to be flashy
about it –but even a seemingly
insignificant donation of your money, time, or physical effort
could change someone’s life. Babu will leave behind his legacy
as an entrepreneur.
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