Good Samaritans do exist!

Our trip to Darjeeling and Gangtok was a memorable one. Weather was pleasant and people were decent. My son had taken a break from his management institute to accompany us. His company had added a new charm to the trip. Since the advent of corporate culture, children’s company, whenever possible, comes as a bonus to the parents!

As I was in my young days, my son too is awfully fond of photography. He had recently purchased a Nikon camera, loaded with a big storage memory card by saving his pocket money over many months. He used the camera to capture the scenic beauty of the hills and innocent faces of the people. The collection, as we watched on the PC after our return was breathtaking.

After our return, my son, before going back to his institute, planned to visit Bhakra dam along with his friends. En-route, they visited Gurdwara Anandpur Sahib. My son was told to leave the camera outside. Before depositing the camera, he took out its memory card and put it in his shirt pocket.

After visiting the Gurdwara, they came out and collected the camera. As my son groped into his shirt pocket to take out the memory card, he received a rude shock. The card was not there! Obviously, it had slipped out of his pocket when he had bent on his knees and bowed inside the Gurdwara.

Short of breath, he and his friends re-deposited the camera and again went inside the Guedwara to search for the memory card. The tiny item however couldn’t be located despite frantic search and inquiries. Heavy-hearted, my son returned home. Not only of Bhakra dam area, he had lost the treasure of south-east tour photographs also.

I tried to console my son. ‘More opportunities will arrive. Buy a new card,’ I said but he remained inconsolable. A few days later, he returned to his Institute.

Two months later. I was sitting in my office when I received a call from some unknown number. ‘Are you Mr. Goyal speaking?’ the man at the other end asked.

‘That’s right.’

‘Sir, had you lost your camera memory card sometime back?’

‘Yes!’ I instantly remembered the already forgotten card. ‘Is it with you?’

‘Yes, Sir. Can I get your postal address so that I may courier it to you?’

‘Of course!’ I gave him my address. ‘But how did you find it? How did you get my number?’

‘Sir, I found the card at Anandpur Sahib. I brought it home and could check its contents on my PC. In one of the pictures, a hotel’s name could be read. I searched for that hotel on Google. It was located in Gangtok. I found the hotel’s phone numbers and rang them up. Some of the photos had the date imprinted on them. I emailed your photo and the likely dates of your stay to the hotel manager. Soon, they came out with your name and contact number. As simple as that!’

I profusely thanked the person. He disclosed his identity as Nikhil, a post graduate student of Panjab University, living in Chandigarh.

Next day, the memory card arrived at my residence. The incident became an unforgettable one for us.