JOHOR BARU: "I thought of him as my son and helped him as I could not stand to see him struggle."
This is what 63-year-old C Anjala Devi said about a video of her feeding a Malay youth warded at Hospital Sultanah Aminah.
The video of Anjala feeding the youth has gone viral and has won her praise from netizens.
When contacted by Harian Metro, Anjala, who lives in Larkin, said she was at the hospital to visit her nephew K Jaya Shankar, who was warded after suffering a heart attack.
"When I was at the ward, I saw the man on the bed, he was alone and had no visitors.
"So I helped feed him because I pitied him, that he would continue to lie in bed without eating."
She said the youth had suffered a stroke and was unable to feed himself.
"He was crying (as she fed him), I told him not to cry. I told him to finish his meal so he would not have an empty stomach."
Anjala said she only did what she could to help ease his burden.
"I was happy to help him, we are one Malaysia.
"How can I just sit idly by when someone else is struggling? I hope he recovers soon."
Today, Anjala prepared a vegetable soup for the man.
Meanwhile, her nephew K Jamunahwathy, who recorded the video, said he did so as he was touched by his aunt's compassion.
He said he did not expect the video to go viral but was glad it helped spread the message that compassion transcends race and religion.
"We should be nice to one another regardless of race and religion," he said.