As a people, do we Indians care about another fellow human being? Does his pain and agony upset us? Do we really feel glad at the good things that happen to him? Or is it that 'I-don't-care-a-damn-till-something-affects-me' syndrome that rules the roost?
Judging from the past experiences and the continuing trends, I must rather ruefully admit that we really do not care! Period.
The latest incident has been at Jaipur where a young lady and her infant child - riding pillion on her husband's scooter - met with a tragic end as no fellow motorist stopped by to offer help and had chosen to drive past, instead, showing crass insensitivity. One can apologetically ferret out a few excuses by saying that the passersby were busy with their own preoccupations and hence, couldn't spare a moment of their's! I'd have accepted it had the lapse been restricted to a few, but a multitude to show insensitivity speaks very low about us, as a whole.
Having said that, I must touch upon an incident that I was privy to, only yesterday showing the other side. I'd taken my mom to the nearby ayurveda hospital and while the initial registering process was going on, 'Nangeli pembila' - in her 60s and she stays in the neighbourhood. She's known by that name to one and all in the village and I must concede that it's regrettably casteist! I must hasten to add that I do not subscribe to that form of address - let off a wail seeing my mom's aged visage and her difficulty in walking.
She recalled as to how she and her children were looked after by my mom, during their visits to our house to provide the household's daily requirement of milk. She also remembered the Sunday morning trysts at the courtyard where my mom used to make 'payasam' on a temporary 'chulha' made with stones for the purpose, carry out the 'puja' and distribute the offerings to everyone present - in fact, she used to ensure that we too joined the group to partake the goodies.
'Nangeli amma' has promised to meet mom more frequently. She seemed to be in a state of disbelief in seeing my mom in her present condition as she's used to her energetic personality!
And so do I!
And yes, she cares!!
Tailpiece.
During our stay at Delhi at Arjan Vihar, in the Delhi cantonment, there used to be numerous accidents at the speed breaker on Cariappa Marg, opposite our building. While the victims used to go through the turmoil, it was invariably the sikhs who stopped by to offer the first help. As a community, I think they're very, very compassionate and I salute them for that wonderful quality of their's!
Judging from the past experiences and the continuing trends, I must rather ruefully admit that we really do not care! Period.
The latest incident has been at Jaipur where a young lady and her infant child - riding pillion on her husband's scooter - met with a tragic end as no fellow motorist stopped by to offer help and had chosen to drive past, instead, showing crass insensitivity. One can apologetically ferret out a few excuses by saying that the passersby were busy with their own preoccupations and hence, couldn't spare a moment of their's! I'd have accepted it had the lapse been restricted to a few, but a multitude to show insensitivity speaks very low about us, as a whole.
Having said that, I must touch upon an incident that I was privy to, only yesterday showing the other side. I'd taken my mom to the nearby ayurveda hospital and while the initial registering process was going on, 'Nangeli pembila' - in her 60s and she stays in the neighbourhood. She's known by that name to one and all in the village and I must concede that it's regrettably casteist! I must hasten to add that I do not subscribe to that form of address - let off a wail seeing my mom's aged visage and her difficulty in walking.
She recalled as to how she and her children were looked after by my mom, during their visits to our house to provide the household's daily requirement of milk. She also remembered the Sunday morning trysts at the courtyard where my mom used to make 'payasam' on a temporary 'chulha' made with stones for the purpose, carry out the 'puja' and distribute the offerings to everyone present - in fact, she used to ensure that we too joined the group to partake the goodies.
'Nangeli amma' has promised to meet mom more frequently. She seemed to be in a state of disbelief in seeing my mom in her present condition as she's used to her energetic personality!
And so do I!
And yes, she cares!!
Tailpiece.
During our stay at Delhi at Arjan Vihar, in the Delhi cantonment, there used to be numerous accidents at the speed breaker on Cariappa Marg, opposite our building. While the victims used to go through the turmoil, it was invariably the sikhs who stopped by to offer the first help. As a community, I think they're very, very compassionate and I salute them for that wonderful quality of their's!
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