Sunday, May 24, 2009

A "Help" experience...

Once I was returning from my office as usual in the evening. My home station - Malad came and I was pushed out with many others by the flock of co-travellers who were getting down at Malad. Crowd and moreover humid-hot climate of Mumbai make the local train travel, a worst experience. I breathed relief after getting down on the platform. The train moved further and so did I.A few steps further I noticed a herd of people surrounding somebody lying unconscious on the platform, near station master's office. Out of curiosity, I also could not help myself from checking out who it was. There was a young guy, little younger than me, lying on the ground unconscious.
People have this very bad habit. Crowd a place where something has happened and be a mere dumb spectator. Do nothing. Enjoy the Tamasha.
Looking at the unconscious boy, a few said that the boy might have got epilepsy attack; a few others suggested he might have had empty stomach and might have fallen unconscious due to weakness. One of them even suggested the boy might have fallen from the train. A lady was saying,"somebody shall make the boy smell an onion or a chappal (footwear)." But nobody was taking any action. Infact they had surrounded the boy and ensured that he does not get enough air to breath.
I ran out of the station to bring an onion, as I knew that just outside the station a few vegetable-sellers used to sit and sell vegetables. I asked and grabbed an onion and came back on the platform where the boy was lying. But I noticed that nobody was there now. Neither the boy nor the crowd! I went to Station master's cabin and asked about the boy. A person sitting in that office said in a rude tone that if I was a relative of that boy or what. I replied that I was not related to that boy in any way. But I wanted to help him and I had brought an onion for him to smell. He signaled that the boy is lying inside the room. I went inside.2-3 police officers and a few other men were trying to shake him and bring him into his senses. He was responding and in a few moments he came to conscious state. But still he was in a drowsy condition and he tried to get up and walk but didn't succeed. He fell back. I gave the onion to one of the men there and he broke the onion and took it near the boy's nose so that the boy could smell it. The boy though weak, was conscious now. He snatched the onion from the man's hand and threw it! Police man asked him if he was hungry. The boy nodded to indicate he was hungry. I told him I would feed him and asked him to come with me to the stall outside, on the platform. The boy had to take support of one of the police man's and my shoulder to come out of station master's office room. The boy was not able to maintain his balance and stand or walk properly. We managed to bring him to the stall. We made him drink water and I ordered a Vada-pav and a tea for him. The police man told me the boy had drunk and due to empty stomach he was in this condition. I felt a shock. I don't know why but I felt a sense of regret. I felt I should not have helped this boy at all. A drunkard should not be shown any pity and left on his own. I hate such people who do not have any control over themselves and after drinking beyond limit who loose senses and behave like animals. In parties also you find many such people vomit and spoil the venue and the party. Their friends have to carry them back to their homes. I have a strong sense of disrespect and disgust for such people. They not only loose consciousness but create trouble for their family members and friends also.

The boy tried to eat vada-pav.He just ate a byte and due to his semi-conscious state could not hold the vada-pav and it fell from his hand. I saw it and didn't like it but could not stop there any further and left for my home.

1 comment:

  1. Vikas,

    U did a gr8 deed by helping the guy.

    Regarding ur "sense of disregard & disrespect", i agree to disagree.

    May be, there might have been some reason for his being in tht state. May be, u shld hav had more info before arriving at a conclusion.

    As the saying goes (i guess, it's mother teresa), "If you are always trying to judge people, you've no time to love them."

    Cheers,
    Denil

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