In Search of Kindness

More than twenty years ago, my family engaged a domestic helper from Sri Lanka. Sriya left her hometown to work in Singapore when she was just in her early twenties. She would later stay on with us for close to almost a decade.

When she first arrived, I was just a little kid, in my early primary school years. In the day, Syria took over as matriarch of the household. She was the provider, the disciplinarian, the educator, the cook, the timekeeper, the nurse, aunt agony... all possible roles imaginable packed into one.

She has a way with people too; those who knew her tend to reveal their softer side in her presence. Syria often went the extra mile for us and others alike, never making a distinction in how she treated people. Never once had she asked for anything in return.

Even as a kid, I was able to observe the silent reciprocity of her kindness at play. Those at the receiving end remember the act and will return in kind, often many times over. This cycle self perpetuates to no end, benefitting all who partake in the exchange.

I did not realise what her superpower was then. I often wondered why people I come to meet later in life do not possess her kind of disposition, the aura that naturally gravitates others to oneself.

SYRIA IS ONE OF THE KINDEST AND MOST ALTRUISTIC PERSONs I HAVE EVER MET.

A thought has been lingering in my mind ever since. Are most Sri Lankans like her? What shapes a person - is it family upbringing, culture or social stability? Surely not the latter, the Sri Lankan civil war which spanned 25 years has disrupted their ordinary way of life for decades. I can’t wrap my head around it.

I decided to visit Sri Lanka to find out. I spent a week exploring the villages and towns in search of anecdotes of kindness and to explore its famed historic landmarks.

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