If you can
help – always help. Don’t think. Just help.
Most of us
lead such busy lives that we don’t even have time for ourselves. So, we don’t
pause to reflect on the challenges people around us are faced with. Perhaps,
there is less trust in humanity at one level – so not many want to come forth
and offer help. Or, maybe, people don’t have enough time anymore. Or, often
times, we don’t even realize that someone around us needs help.
An
incident in Chennai on Monday, that has been reported extensively by the media
here, holds up a mirror to all of us who are “too busy” to even look up from
our own lives’ schedules, forget helping someone.
A 46-year-old
man, Augustine, walking by the Adayar river with his wife and two children, suddenly
flung his nine-year-old daughter Roshni into the river. He then tried to snatch
his seven-year-old son, Joshua, from his wife, Rani, in an attempt to throw the
boy too into the river. When a shocked Rani resisted his efforts, Augustine
jumped into the river. It was rush hour on a Monday morning. Several people
driving past on the bridge pulled up and peeped over the railing, wanting to,
as it so often happens in India, “catch the action”. But none came forward to
help. It would have been another typical Indian roadside story of apathy in the
face of a tragedy, had it not been for Dinesh Babu, a 23-year-old, marketing executive,
on the way to work. Unmindful of the depth and treacherous nature of the river,
or of his limited knowledge of swimming, Babu jumped into the river and managed
to lift Roshni above the water, over his shoulder. Seeing him struggle with the
girl, another passer-by, Saravanan, 26, dived into the river. Saravanan knew
swimming and he managed to escort both Babu and Roshni to the bank of the river
in some time. Augustine however was not found for all of Monday. His body was
recovered from the river on Tuesday.
Babu’s braveheart
act not only calls for an applause but also begs reflection and introspection
by each of us. Ask yourself:
- What would you have done in such a situation?
- How can you be more sensitive to the needs of people around you?
- Whenever you can’t help personally, do you consider mobilizing help?
Each
situation that requires helping someone may not be fraught with as much urgency
and risk as in Roshni’s case. But the key point to ponder over is do we even
considering helping? Or are we so caught up, indifferent and self-obsessed, with
our own lives that we miss even noticing that someone needs our help?
My family
and I continue to be blessed by the kindness and compassion of people, often
even unknown folks, who have walked into our lives and have helped us –
spontaneously, selflessly. I can vouch for how much of a difference it makes
when you realize that someone, somewhere cares. So, if it is possible, do pause
to look up, and around you, from your busy Life – someone can possibly do with
a wee bit of what you have in plenty, if only you care to offer it to them! PS –
most often that resource can even be time, and not necessarily money or
something in kind!
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