Many of us may be fortunate enough to be able to do simple things without so much as giving it too much thought. Even as we are grateful for things that are in place in our lives, we may not realise the fact that the things we take for granted may well be a luxury for someone.

We may not give a second thought when we buy a litre of milk, but for the captain of the Indian hockey team, Rani Rampal, her parents could not afford the 500 ml of milk every player needed to bring during training. She would water down the 200 ml she could afford.

When we come home in the evening, switching on the lights is normal and we may even carelessly leave the lights on when we leave the room. But President APJ Kalam grew up in a small town with no electricity and his mother would save kerosene so that her son could study at night.

Using a car or calling for a taxi may be normal for many of us, and making sure the school fees of our children go in time may happen without much effort. We may not know that President K.R.Narayanan would walk for miles to attend school and would attend lectures standing outside class as his fees were almost always due.

Stepping out for a walk is normal and we don’t think twice before making a plan to meet someone we would like to. In fact, if we are restricted in our movements and have to stay home for a few weeks or months, we take it for granted that it is okay to complain and get frustrated. But Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison, only to go on to lead his nation.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner happen every day, only becoming special if something special is cooked. However, 690 million people go to bed each night on an empty stomach.

Reflecting on how fortunate we are, shouldn’t stop us from doing well and giving ourselves a good quality of life. It should only instill us with responsibility when we realise that the struggle of many in the world may well be for the things we take for granted.