Honking through the busy streets of Pune, we made our way along with the glossy cars and the countless two wheelers, all of which zoomed past with just one mission on their minds; to reach their destinations as soon as they could. You can’t blame anyone for feeling this way in cities where traveling takes up a ridiculous amount of time.
In India, there are hardly roads without potholes or bumps. It sometimes feels as if these roads were constructed in a way that ensures accidents take place rather than serving the real purpose of preventing them! As we whined at the sight of yet another speed hump, we noticed a rather disturbing incident in front of us. A man, probably in his forties lost balance and fell down along with his bike. The unexpected fall was way too sudden for the person behind him, who fell from his bike as well after bumping into the first man. The whole traffic came to a halt as we all screeched our vehicles to a stop, which resulted in a lot of mini-bumping-into-each-other in the closely knitted traffic.
Being in close quarters where the men had fallen, we watched as no one got down of their vehicles to help them and instead stood there honking and yelling and discussing how careless, reckless and lousy the driver must have been for ending up like that. Some had the pitiful looks, but wouldn’t dare to get off and help, while others kept looking at their watches, clearly perturbed at this delay-causing incident.
Luckily the men weren’t badly hurt or injured except for some minor cuts and bruises. We got off our vehicle to help them up amidst the commotion of the riders behind us who were clearly annoyed at being stuck behind our parked vehicle in the middle of the road as the traffic started moving. Soon the people lying on the footpath rushed to their rescue too. As for the audience, there were some cursing them for delaying their schedule, some just relieved to see the men standing on their feet and to the rest, nothing probably mattered as long as they were not harmed!
On inquiring the man who fell initially, we found out his hands had sweated out, and the handle slipped under his skin when he was trying to apply brakes at the hump. He soon realized what was happening, panicked and lost control. Moreover the hump was not smooth, but the nasty one which needs you to almost totally stop your vehicle before maneuvering it. There wasn’t a sign around either to warn the people about it. In a traffic which looked like Honey to bees, there wasn’t an inch of ground visible! Sign boards are a must in places like these.
We remembered this man to be our road partner for a long time that day in the traffic and he wasn’t a rash rider and rode very responsibly. It’s not necessary that every person involved in an accident is at fault. Mistakes happen by everyone. That doesn’t mean we forget humanity and behave like stone-hearted people. People in need are to be helped and corrected, not abused and ignored.
We spoke to the guy on the car just behind this man, who was still sitting inside watching the drama unfold, instead of getting off and lending a helping hand. Here’s the conversation:
KYS – Sir, don’t you think you should be helping us out?
Man 1 – I’m already late for work. People who can’t ride properly shouldn’t get on roads. I’ll miss my meeting now, thanks to this great man here. I can’t even move my car unless he moves his vehicle. I’m stuck here and you expect me to help him?
KYS – Did you even try finding out why the guy fell?
Man 1– I don’t care. Can you please get him off the road and let me pass.
KYS – His hand sweated out, he couldn’t apply brakes and fell off in panic. It could happen to anyone. God forbid you face the same thing some day, how would you feel?
Man 1– I’m a responsible driver and know how to maneuver my way through the traffic of this city. So please mind your own business. (And closes his window)
We then spoke to one of the people who had come to help –
KYS – Thanks for helping us out. It’s so disheartening to see people just walk off with a blind eye to another man’s pain.
Man 2 – Don’t thank us. You’re doing exactly what I am. Whoever the person is, I have no clue what happened, whether it’s his fault or not. But life is precious. And I wouldn’t want one mistake to ruin someone’s life. We should all believe in karma. As we sow, so shall we reap. God forbid someday we get into this situation, or any of our loved ones, we would expect people to help them. How can we expect that from others if we ourselves are ignorant?
KYS – That’s very true sir. Wonderful thought. It’s good to know there are still people who care. It’s a relief humanity is not completely dead. There’s still hope. Thank you!
What can be more important than the life of a person is the question to ponder upon. The people who helped this man were the poor people lying on the footpath while the so-called sophisticated, educated people on their shiny rides turned a blind eye. Is the present world we live in so bad that we would prefer seeing a person die than kill a few of our planned moments? How does a person sleep peacefully at night after incidents like these happen? Doesn’t the conscience prick people these days? Are the humanly feelings getting extinct in this Kalyug?!
Why not make a resolve today to help the people in need. Strangely many people are scared to do the right thing in spite of knowing what is to be done. Everyone waits for the hero to magically appear and take control of the situation. These people lying on the footpath who dived in to lend a helping hand without any second thoughts are our everyday unsung heroes. Be the change you want to see. Do the needful. Be the inspiration. Be the Hero!