People can be misunderstood when they try to help

By Hari Shukla on Jun 18, 08 12:50 PM

I recall another incident which shows how a person's intentions can be misunderstood.

One morning many years ago, a member from the Asian Community rang me and said that he had received a letter from the council saying the residents in Fenham have complained that he kept his shop open till 10.00pm.

When I saw him, he explained that he kept his shop open to help his friends, the residents. He said that people didn't do bulk shopping late at night.

But if a person forgot to buy a bottle of milk or a loaf of bread, he or she knew his shop would be opened and he was pleased to serve people. He also said if the shop was closed and if anyone knocked at the door he would come downstairs and serve the person.

When people learnt that some people had made a complaint, some 200 people signed a petition saying that he was rendering service to the community and thanked him for his help.

The council was helping and the shop keeper continued to serve the neighbourhood.

From this incident we learn that even good intentions are often misunderstood. Therefore, good lines of communication are very essential in breaking down prejudices.

All these incidents taught us to understand our people. The result of all our work in the declaration Newcastle as City for Peace.