“Rishi, can you please bring a glass of water for Grandma?” called Amma from the kitchen.
“Coming!” Rishi shouted back, dragging his feet as he got up from the couch. He was in the middle of an exciting comic book, and this was the third time Amma had asked him to do something today.
As he walked to the kitchen, he muttered, “Why do I always have to do everything?”
Amma handed him a steel tumbler filled with cool water. “It’s not everything, Rishi. Just little things. They show you care.”
Rishi gave the water to Grandma, who smiled and said, “Thank you, kanna. You’re such a sweet boy.”
That made him feel a little better. But he still didn’t get why he always had to wait for someone to ask him.
Later that evening, Rishi’s best friend Arjun came over to play. They had decided to race their remote control cars in the corridor.
As Arjun bent down to pick up his car, it suddenly rolled forward, and he lost his balance. Thud! He landed on his knees.
“Ow!” Arjun winced.
Rishi ran over immediately. “Are you okay?” he asked, helping Arjun up. He brushed off the dust from Arjun’s shorts. “Wait here—I’ll get you some ice.”
By the time Arjun sat down, Rishi returned with an ice pack wrapped in a towel. Arjun looked surprised.
“You didn’t even wait for me to ask! That was really thoughtful,” he said.
Rishi blinked. “Thoughtful? I just... did what anyone would do.”
“Not really. Some kids would just laugh or keep playing,” Arjun said with a smile.
Rishi hadn’t thought about that. He just reacted. But the word thoughtful stayed in his head all evening.
The next morning, Rishi’s school bus reached just as it began to drizzle. He quickly ran inside. As he reached the classroom, he noticed Nandita struggling with her heavy school bag and an umbrella in one hand. A few kids passed her by, laughing, but no one helped.
Rishi walked over and held her umbrella so she could manage her bag properly.
“Thanks, Rishi,” she said, clearly relieved. “I didn’t know how I was going to open the door like this.”
Rishi smiled and said, “No problem. Rain likes to surprise all of us!”
As he sat at his desk, he felt something new—a warm feeling inside his chest. Helping without being asked... actually felt good.
Later that week, the class was busy preparing for the school’s Thoughtfulness Week. Each student had to write down one thoughtful act they had done recently.
“Oh man,” groaned Hari, one of Rishi’s classmates. “I haven’t done anything thoughtful. Can I just write that I shared my pencil once?”
Rishi chuckled. “I think you can do better than that.”
He looked down at his own paper. What could he write? Should he talk about helping Arjun? Or Nandita in the rain? Or the glass of water he brought Grandma?
“Why not all three?” whispered his heart.
That evening, back home, Rishi decided to do a small experiment. Amma was busy in the kitchen, Appa was reading the newspaper, and Grandma was sitting on the sofa.
Rishi quietly walked to the kitchen and began setting the table without being asked. Amma looked up, surprised.
“Table’s already set?” she asked.
“Yep,” Rishi said with a grin. “I thought it might help.”
Later, when the doorbell rang, it was Ramesh Uncle from the upstairs flat. He had come to borrow some turmeric. Rishi quickly got up, brought him a glass of water, and offered him a seat while Amma found the spice in the kitchen.
“Ah! Thoughtful boy,” Uncle smiled. “You’re growing up well.”
That made Rishi’s cheeks turn a bit pink.
At bedtime, Rishi sat beside Grandma.
“Paati, what does it mean to be thoughtful?”
Grandma smiled and patted his head. “It means thinking of what someone might need, even before they ask. Like knowing Amma must be tired after cooking and helping her. Or noticing if someone’s lonely and talking to them. It’s seeing the world with your heart.”
“With your heart?” Rishi asked, tilting his head.
“Yes,” she nodded. “Eyes see what’s in front of you. But hearts see what’s behind things—feelings, needs, struggles. That’s what makes someone thoughtful.”
Rishi thought about it as he lay in bed. Could he really see with his heart?
The next day at school, their class teacher, Miss Leela, asked if anyone wanted to share their stories of thoughtful acts. Rishi raised his hand.
“I didn’t understand what being thoughtful meant at first,” he began. “But then I helped my friend when he fell, I held an umbrella for someone, and I brought my grandma a glass of water without her asking. It felt nice doing those things.”
“Wonderful,” said Miss Leela. “That’s exactly what being thoughtful is all about—small things that make a big difference.”
Hari whispered, “Man, now I really wish I did something better than the pencil.”
Rishi laughed. “You can still start today.”
That afternoon, Rishi saw a younger boy from class 2 struggling with his shoelaces. Kids were walking past him, but Rishi bent down, tied the shoelace, and gave the boy a thumbs-up.
The boy looked surprised. “Thanks, anna!”
“No problem, little buddy,” Rishi replied, standing tall.
When he got home that day, he saw Amma carrying bags of vegetables from the car. Without a word, he rushed down, took the heaviest bag, and said, “I’ve got this!”
Amma looked shocked and delighted. “Wow, what’s gotten into you?”
“Just trying to see with my heart,” Rishi said, winking.
That night, as he wrote in his diary, Rishi titled the page The Thoughtful Hero.
He didn’t need a cape or superpowers to be a hero.
Just a kind heart.
And maybe a glass of water.
