It was the kindness of an autorickshaw driver here that has received the gratitude of the small Japanese community here.
Recently, Maki Matsuura (61), who has been in the city for six months, had lost her wallet in an autorickshaw at Hampankatta. Panic-stricken, she called her Japanese contacts in the city, said Haruka Ito, a Wishu Martial Arts expert and her guardian in the city.
“Around this time, she got a call on her mobile from the autorickshaw driver. She could not understand a thing. It was others around her that helped translate what the driver was saying,” said Ms. Ito.
By the time her Japanese friends reached the spot, Ms. Matsuura informed them that the autorickshaw driver had found her out and even delivered her wallet. “He refused to even take the reward money offered by her,” said Ms. Ito.
However, what the unnamed Samaritan has done is to give the whole city a “good image”. In an open letter to the press, Ms. Ito says: “Just as how a small incident of cheating can ruin the image of a city, a small act of kindness can spread goodwill for the people and the country. The really important asset of Mangalore is the beautiful mind of the people here.”
