A US woman lost her ATM card while travelling through Kerala, India, and a stranger took a 14-hour trip to return it. When she offered him money, he politely refused. His name? Krishna. If this act of kindness doesn’t restore your faith in humanity, what will?India Witkin, a New York-based documentary producer turned content creator, shared that she lost her ATM card in Kerala, which was returned by a man who travelled 14 hours to reach her.
A card left behind, a stranger who noticed
Representative image generated using AI
Most travellers know the drill. You lose something in a foreign country; you assume it’s gone forever in India. But not in Kerala. Here, people go the extra mile, even if it’s for a stranger. They deeply believe in the tradition of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’, which means treating the guest as equivalent to God. In a video shared on Instagram, Witkin revealed how she lost her ATM card and how a stranger spent 14 hours driving it back to her.“I left my debit card at an ATM in a small beach town in Kerala, India. I was solo travelling, and I didn’t realise until I was in the capital city, five hours away. Earlier that day, I was at DHL trying to ship something to the US. The DHL worker and I exchanged numbers since all transactions in India are basically made over WhatsApp. I had to go to the ATM to withdraw cash, but I accidentally left my card inside the machine. It was 95 degrees, and I had had a few drinks the night before. Sue me,” the woman recalled.The moment she realised her card was missing, she called the DHL staff member. She asked him to check if the card was still there. It was. Witkin prayed to every Hindu deity she could think of. And 24 hours later, the card was found. It was sitting on top of the ATM machine.But logistics turned the problem urgent. She was leaving India in 36 hours. It was Sunday. Shipping wasn’t an option. The DHL worker had a day off ahead of him. Witkin almost gave up on the card. There was no way she could drive back to get it.
Man travels 14 hours to help her
AI-generated image
That Sunday evening, the DHL worker called. He told Witkin to come outside. He was there, with two friends, after driving six hours in an autorickshaw to hand-deliver her card! It was his day off. The round trip took 14 hours. No discussion about compensation, no expectation of payment. When Witkin offered him money for his time and fuel, he declined. He told her he knew she was travelling on a budget and to keep it for herself.“His name? Krishna. The Hindu god of love, compassion, and protection. Tell me karma doesn’t exist,” Witkin said. The cosmic connection was too good to be ignored.Touched by the kindness, Witkin said, “Hopefully this story restores your faith in humanity, because it did for me.” She also recorded a video with the man and his two friends and posted it on Instagram.The video is flooded with comments from people talking about the compassion and hospitality of Keralites. “Keralam will never disappoint you,” one netizen commented. Another agreed, “Kerala people are really very honest.” A netizen was deeply moved by the video: “I moved countries, and I see racism in real life and online. The bullying about our skin and nonsensical arguments about our hygiene. Younger me has wished why I wasn’t born in any other part of the world. But this me is so thankful that I know what I know, the culture, the food, the colours, and the love my people show others. Proud Malayali any day!”
