Kindness Diaries (2017–2019): Season 1, Episode 8 - The Gift of Education - full transcript

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[Leon Logothetis] From a
distance, the world probably
seems

like a big, bad scary place.

If you listen to the news
or even ask the person next to
you,

they will likely talk about war,
poverty, corruption, and hate.

And they are right,
from a distance.

But, I believe that up close,
there is enough good, enough
love,

and enough pure kindness
to make the world go round,

and that is what
inspired my journey.

A journey where random acts
of kindness are repaid

with unexpected and
life-changing gifts.

And, these are The
Kindness Diaries.



[Leon] After New Delhi, I rode
Kindness 1 east towards the city
of Agra.

The comparatively quiet
backcountry roads

gave way to the crush of traffic
and people when I arrived in the
city.

For me, there was only
one reason to come to Agra.

Just beyond those arches
is the famous Taj Mahal.

[Leon] Commissioned in 1632
by the Mughal Emperor

as a tribute to his late wife,

it took 20,000 artisans
over 21 years to complete.

Quite extraordinary
and humbling to think

that one man'’s love,
for his wife built this
structure.

[Leon] But all of that work,
came at a cost.

[Leon] History tells us that the
king who built the Taj Mahal

was ultimately imprisoned
by his own son

because his son
couldn'’t understand



why the king was putting
so much money into this
structure.

[Leon] Ironically, today the Taj
Mahal, with its three million
annual visitors,

is one of the largest economic
resources for the country,

so maybe the real lesson
to be found in the Taj Mahal

isn'’t about love
but about patience.

After my tour, it was
back to the streets of Agra,

but this time I do it
with a little Indian flair.

-Can I get on the camel?
-Yes.

-But, I don'’t have any money.
-Okay.

-It'’s okay? Kindness.
-Kindness.

Whoa! What'’s the camel's name?

-Raju.
-Raju!

Good riding?

Very good riding.

Raju is a very good camel
and you are a very good camel
master.

[Leon] And now it was time to
try and find some food and
shelter.

[drums beating]

I nearly got run
over by a rickshaw.

One thing about India
is there is so much noise.

All the time, 24 hours
a day. It'’s chaos!

[Leon] Unfortunately,
I wasn'’t having very much luck.

Is there any way that I can stay
in your hotel room tonight?

Um... no.

[Leon] But a local merchant
suggested that I visit a nearby
Karate dojo

to see if anyone there
could provide assistance.

So, off I went, intending to hit
up the local Karate master for
help,

but ended up
hitting something else entirely.

Ouch. That hurt.

I just destroyed my bike
and nearly killed Steve.

Oh, man. It'’s leaking.

[Leon] But that was a problem
that would have to wait

because I had apologies to make.

I'’ve damaged your
wall. I'’m very sorry.

[Leon] Fortunately for me,
Rajat, the teacher,

was a generous
and forgiving sort of fellow.

-Your bike is damaged.
-I know.

No problem.

[Leon] No problem.

[Leon] Which is a good thing
because when part of our
conversation

got lost in translation,

Rajat very erroneously came to
think that I was a Karate
expert,

and before I knew it, I found
myself on the wrong side of
this.

This could be very, very bad.

Is he gone?

[Leon] But luckily I survived.

I hope this evens the odds.

Punch you?

Uggh!

[laughter]

Do not harm me.

[cap fires]

[applause]

I'm dead and they're clapping.

The whole point of today was
simply to go to the Taj Mahal.

I didn'’t expect to crash
Kindness 1 into a wall

and then to meet a Karate
champion who literally could'’ve
ended me like that.

[Leon] So, not only did he not
kill me with his capable flying
fists of fury,

he very graciously offered
to put me up for the night.

Thank you so much for
letting me stay in your house.

-No problem.
-Can I please give you a hug?

But promise me one thing,
you will not hit me.

-No, no, promise, done.
-Done?

-OK, done.
-[Leon] Thank you, man.

[Leon] The next morning,
Rajat had arranged for me

to take Kindness 1
to a mechanic friend.

I crashed the bike
yesterday into a wall

and, as you can
see, it'’s leaking.

Fixed it?

[Leon] After a quick fix,
I was once again back out on the
road

and apparently so was
every other vehicle in the
country.

Indian traffic.

[Leon] A few hours later
I arrived at my next
destination.

Now it'’s about finding a
place to stay in Lucknow,

some food, some love,
and not to get run over.

[horns blaring]

[Leon] Unfortunately, I was
having a hard time finding
someone that could help me.

Can I stay in your house?

No, I am going to
practice right now.

-You're going to practice?
-Yeah.

-What do you practice?
-I'm playing boxing.

-Box... You're a boxer?
-Yeah, yeah.

[Leon] He invited
me to come join him

and I figured, if I could
survive Karate, maybe I would be
okay.

-This is our coach.
-Hi, Coach.

How are you? Good to meet you.

[Leon] So they started
with the basics.

Then it was my turn.

[cheering]

[Leon] The one thing he
didn'’t have to show me,

was when to throw in the towel.

[indistinct P.A. announcements,
crowd cheering]

[Leon] To be fair,
it'’s a lot harder than it
looks...

and I learned that they had
been training since they were
kids.

I got first gold medal in 2006.

I won state gold
medalist in India.

So, hold on, I just got knocked
out by the champion Indian
boxer?

-Yeah, yeah.
-OK, good.

That makes me happy now.

For you, boxing isn'’t just
about sport, it'’s about life.

It's about life,
yeah, absolutely.

After becoming a good boxer,
we get a good job.

Learning, we learn self defense.

We can fight with anyone.

And, we can help others.

-I have one question for you.
-Yeah, yeah.

And I want you to lie.

Do I have any hope of becoming
a professional boxer?

Yes, yes.

[Leon] Since I lacked both the
time and the talent to be a
proper fighter,

I decided to focus my energy
on more immediate goals,

like finding somewhere
to stay for the night.

I'm going to the bus station,
on the way to my village.

If you like, I can take you
there and you can stay there.

Hold on, you'’re going to the
bus station to your village.

How far away is your village?

From Lucknow it's
100 kilometers.

Obviously I would absolutely
love to do this, but it'’s out of
my way

and I don'’t have any money.

Don't worry.

You have me,
now you have me, don't worry.

-I will pay.
-You'll pay for my gas?

Yes, I will pay.

[Leon] You see, once again, with
a little bit of patience, it all
works out.

It turns out, my new friend Ajay
lived about 100 kilometers away

in a small village that could
only be reached by a very bumpy
road.

Apparently, an Englishman
on a bright yellow bike

was too exotic a sight to miss,

as it seemed the whole village
had come out to greet us.

Talk about a welcome party.

Thank you very much.
Thank you. Thank you everyone.

I cannot tell you how grateful
I am, how humbled I am.

[cheering]

[Leon] Afterwards, Ajay showed
me to his house and introduced
me to his family.

[Ajay] My grandfather,
he will arrange everything for
you.

Thank you so much.
It'’s a real pleasure to meet
you.

Thank you.

-This one is my bed?
-This one.

OK. I'’m still in shock.

I really feel like I could just
sit here and start bawling,
start crying,

because of all this magnificent
kindness that'’s been shown to
me.

-Good night.
-Good night. Thank you.

[Leon] The next day,
Ajay showed me around the
village

and I got to learn a
little bit about their culture.

Ajay, what are all these signs?
What is this?

Our tradition.

Take some soil,
mix with water, put hands and...

-Oh, so it'’s for good luck.
-Good luck and for welcome the
guests.

Leon was here.

[laughter]

Will you like that I show you
the village around here, and the
farms?

[Leon] The fields and,
yes, absolutely. Let'’s do it.

-Food for the buffalos or the
cows. -OK.

[Leon] Because everyone had been
so welcoming and kind to me,

I wanted to do
something for them.

The fields of tall grasses are
quite beautiful, and deceptively
tough.

Sometimes you have to work
for your room and board.

[Leon] I will also say
they are surprisingly heavy.

The life of an
Indian farmer is not for me.

[Leon] But after my farming
adventure, it was time to get
back out on the road,

and I was touched because,
in addition to filling up
Kindness 1,

it seemed like Ajay'’s whole
village came out once again,

this time to see me off.

-I am glad that you are here,
man! -Thank you.

-See you again, see you soon,
man. -Thank you, thank you.

Thank you!

[Leon] The two days I spent in
the tranquil settings of Indian
farm country

had made me momentarily
forget the sobering realities

that awaited me at
my next destination.

[Leon] I arrived in Varanasi,

which is one of the holiest
cities of the Hindu religion.

It'’s actually called
"the City of Fire."

The poverty is
just excruciating.

[Leon] At that moment, I knew
I would never get used to the
conditions

that surrounded me
everywhere I looked,

or the idea that all
of it was just everyday life

to India'’s 1.2 billion citizens,

which make up about 18%
of the world'’s population.

And ultimately, they were
the reason I came here.

I wanted to meet
these amazing resilient people

who push on everyday
"just because".

[Leon] This is one of the most
holy spots of the Hindu
religion.

Indians try their hardest
to get to the Ganges.

[Leon] Despite being the fifth
most polluted river in the
world,

the Ganges is sacred
to the Hindu people,

particularly here in the holy
city where it is the center of
all life.

Specifically in Varanasi to go
into the Ganges and cleanse
themselves.

[Leon] Once again,
I was feeling the pangs of guilt

for asking for help
from people who had so little.

-Do you live in Varanasi?
-I'm born here.

Oh, you were born here,
so you know Varanasi very well.

Lovely. And tell
me, what is that?

-What?
-That wood.

Some person, when they die,
the family buys the wood here.

-People...
-Selling, selling the wood here.

-People burn the people.
-Yes.

What does that mean?

When people die
in Hindu culture,

they get cremated here,
in the burning galley.

-So they cremate them just over
there. -Yes.

-And they buy the wood from
here. -Yes.

[Leon] He offered to take me
across the holy river on his
boat.

[Leon] It'’s a little bit
profound to be sitting here

20 feet away from a burning body

in the holiest city of India.

The City of Fire.

Now I know why they
call it the City of Fire.

It's a little bit overwhelming.

[Leon] As we spoke, I learned
Dilip was a father of two young
boys,

with one more on the way.

-Is your wife pregnant now?
-Yes.

-She's pregnant?
-Yes.

How many months?

Well, this is seven months.

[Leon] We spoke more about
the holiness of the Ganges

as we traveled in our boat
down the length of the river.

[Leon] So, there are dead bodies
in the Ganges right now?

At this time, nothing.

The storm took out the bodies.

Because, there's so
much current, you see?

[Leon] You'’ve lived your
whole life on the Ganges.

[Dilip] Yes.

-[Leon] You work on the Ganges.
-[Dilip] Yes.

And, one day, like all of us,
you will die...

and you will be cremated
and end up in the Ganges.

[Dilip] Yes.

-[Leon] So, it'’s like the circle
of life. -[Dilip] Yes.

[Leon] What I didn'’t know
was that Dilip had a plan,

and it involved swimming
in the Ganges and me.

But, he also had a reason.

Clean the soul.

So, if I swim in the Ganges
right now, I will clear my soul.

Yes. I hope.

So do I.

It'’s one thing to say you're
going to get into the Ganges,

it'’s another thing to actually
go ahead, take all your clothes
off,

put a little loincloth
around you, and get into that.

Literally, only half an hour
ago, I saw a dead cow.

I'’ve seen human excrement, so
you'’re probably wondering to
yourself,

"Why on earth are you even
contemplating getting into the
Ganges?"

Well, the truth is, the Ganges
is the holiest river in the
Hindu religion.

[Leon] Dilip led me through
a traditional Hindu prayer

as I bathed in the holy river.

Hari hari Gange.

Hari, hari Gange.

[Leon] And, after taking care
of my spiritual wellbeing,

Dilip offered to take care
of my physical wellbeing

by offering me a
bed for the night.

From the relative quiet of the
Ganges, we walked through the
chaos of the city

to Dilip'’s home...

where I got to meet
his wife and children.

Hello. You are pregnant.

Congratulations.

[sighs]

Every night seems
to blur into one,

but I cannot believe I found
another place to stay, another
bed.

[Leon] The next morning, as I
waited for Dilip to ready his
children,

I played an improvised game
of cricket with some local boys,

and I tried to do my part
as a good will ambassador.

Sorry! Sorry!

I just hit an Indian man.

Sorry.

[Leon] After Cricket, Dilip
invited me to have breakfast
with him and his sons.

As we ate, I began to think
about how I could repay

the continued kindness
he had shown me.

I took Dilip and his sons
back to the Ganges,

because it was the place
he came to for his blessings,

so it would be the perfect
setting for me to share some of
the blessings

of my life with him.

Aziz, you have a
very lovely father.

-[speaking Hindi]
-Which means?

"Is very good papa."

I so much love my sons.

What do you hope
for your children'’s future?

I think, in the future,
that my sons don't do this job.

If you don'’t have enough money
to pay for Aziz'’s education,
what'’s he going to do?

But, I teach.

-Just teach in home.
-You teach them yourself.

Yes.

What would you like
Aziz to become?

Maybe engineer, maybe doctor.

But, must do first in school.

[Leon] Why did you show me
such kindness the whole day?

Because my karma.

Dilip, when you were Aziz'’s age,
what did you want to be?

I studied school.

But, there are always people...
laughing in school, other
children.

Yeah, I cry always.

-So, people were bullying you?
-Yes.

-So, you quit school.
-Yes.

[Leon] At school I
was bullied as well.

People laughing at me,
making jokes, so I know how it
feels.

It'’s terrible and I'm sorry
you had to suffer that.

When I sit here and I see your
kids and how much they love you,

it really inspires me.

It warms my heart.

Tell me, how much
does school cost?

Six, maybe 7,000
rupee, everything.

To start... the
new clothes, books,

pencils, admission
fees, everything.

But, the fees
every month, cheap.

-Cheap?
-Three-hundred Rupees, 200
Rupees.

-So, it'’s just to start.
-Yeah, start...

[Leon] Is the problem.

To start, much money.

Money is always a
problem everywhere.

Without good money,
how can you eat food?

Nothing.

You know that I'’m traveling
around relying on kindness.

But, there'’s something
that you don'’t know.

In certain situations we meet
people who we are so touched by.

To me, education is critical.

It builds the foundation
for a great life.

So what me and the crew
have decided to do is to pay

for the education of both of
your sons until they are 18
years old.

I feel very happy.

I feel like crying,
what you did for my sons.

If I tell my wife, so happy.

So happy, my mother.

The ability to give two kids
an opportunity to educate
themselves

is truly an honor.

I feel such joy inside my heart,

I cannot tell you, that I met
these two kids, these two little
kids.

But, I don'’t have
my my own kids.

[Leon] This leg of
the journey started

at the world'’s most famous
monument to marital love,

and later I got to see how
the love of one'’s neighbor

could build a thriving community
despite limited resources.

And finally, I got to witness
how one man'’s love for faith and
family

gave him the strength he needed
to persevere in a place

where so very many
have so very little.