Aishwarya Khubchandani ushered in her sixteenth birthday in a novel way by distributing cake to firefighters and cops who are stationed round the clock to guard the crash site of a building in Khar, Mumbai, the portion of which came down a fortnight ago.

Aishwarya is Mumbai’s top-ranked squash player who has represented India in the Asian junior individual squash championship for four years in a row. A week ago, on a fateful day, Aishwarya’s parents had stepped out and she was at home with a domestic help. They both had a lucky escape when a portion of her building crashed and they managed to run out of the house in the nick of time. She is currently staying with her parents at a relative’s residence.

Since the day of the crash, officers from the police and fire department are standing guard at the site as the rubble contains valuables of residents. The portions of the building that crashed have been demolished and the work of razing the structure is in progress. A fire official was touched by her gesture and said that he and his colleagues were happy that their efforts have been acknowledged. He further said that such acts of appreciation motivate them to do their best.

 Her thoughtful act proved lucky for her as she was able to retrieve her passport from the debris. She needed the passport to appear for exams that would secure her admission to colleges in the United States.

Firefighters and cops sometimes risk their lives to save helpless people. Although risk-taking is part of their job, little acts of acknowledgment will give them happiness and encouragement to keep up their good work.