Heartwarming story behind Melbourne man’s random acts of kindness
A Melbourne man’s videos are being viewed tens of millions of times because of a simple act that he wishes other people would do too.
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Melbourne man Rustam Raziev knows what it’s like to have nothing.
That’s why he spends his hard-earned money paying for perfect strangers’ groceries.
The 30-year-old, originally from the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan, grew up without the guarantee of food on the table or a roof over his head.
When his family could afford a place to live, it was tiny, and Rustam remembers vividly the way it made him feel.
“I was embarrassed to sometimes bring my friends over,” he told news.com.au.
But that experience shaped him. He made a promise to himself that he has kept decades later.
“I promised myself back then that if I ever had money I would give it to others.”
Tik Tok videos of him doing just that have been helped him amass a following of more than 6.3 million on the platform.
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In supermarkets and stores around Melbourne, Rustam looks for shoppers who he thinks might need a dose of kindness.
Sometimes he pays for their groceries immediately. Other times he asks shoppers if they can buy him a bottle or water or drops money to see if somebody will pick it up and give it back.
He then repays the kindness by paying for their shopping.
Rustam told news.com.au he uses money he earns as a chartered accountant.
He estimates he has spent more than $6000 on groceries for Melburnians.
During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in April, he set and met a goal of helping 120 people.
He filmed half of them and carried out the act of generosity off camera for the other half.
The reactions he gets vary but most people are grateful. He says sometimes they cry, other times they are critical of what they perceive to be a stunt for likes and followers.
But he will keep giving regardless.
“I think as long as I have good intentions, that’s what matters,” he said.
“At the end of the day, you always get hate from some people. I’m trying to sort of ignore that a little bit. I do good and I feel good about it. I do it with good intentions which come from my heart. I think that that’s what matters at the end of the day.”
Rustam moved to Melbourne 11 years ago. His family remains in Kazakhstan.
Asked what they think of his TikTok fame and his acts of kindness, he says they love it.
“They’re always supportive, they’ve always supported me well in my journey.”
He gives his parents credit for raising him the right way.
“I really appreciate my mum and dad, that they raised me this way, that they gave me this opportunity to study overseas, gave me this chance to sort of step out there and achieve something.
“I’m really thankful to them.”
His message to the world is simple. It’s why he does what he does.
“We live only once. So everyone should make sure that they make the most out of their lives through and help those in need.
“Definitely only from the bottom of your heart. And yeah, and then I guess, that way we can make the world a better place.”
Originally published as Heartwarming story behind Melbourne man’s random acts of kindness
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