The event described below happened two weeks ago. The
delay in putting it into words is another example of the title of this post.
One late night, my friend and I were roaming the streets
of Bangalore, discussing about life in general and our future lives in particular.
Many security guards, having arrived for their night shifts, were
brimming with enthusiasm. Maybe some of them expected some action in the form of a masked
robber and maybe some of them just wanted another peaceful night. The cars and
trucks were speeding on the roads, racing against time and themselves, to reach
their destinations faster.
One such car, in its pursuit of an invisible racing
trophy, ran over a dog before our eyes. And the car continued ahead, after its deathly
punch, not caring to stop for a second. The dog could have very well been a
polythene cover.
Unlike policemen or justice-seeking-citizens, my friend
and I did not care about the perpetrator of the crime. We were a part of the
family-loving, peace-filled-community-seeking common man crowd and hence, our
concern was directed only towards the victim.
We ran towards the dog with no clear plan-of-action in
our minds. As soon as we reached it, we noticed that blood had started oozing
out of its mouth. The sight of the slow formation of a blood pool behind the
dog’s face drastically weakened our wills.
“We cannot let the dog lie here - in the middle of the
road” my friend told me. I nodded and looked at the dog again. I could no more
see a dog. I could only see an object lying over a pool of blood. I looked at
my friend, wanting to absorb courage from him but I noticed that he was also being
tormented by the blood.
“Let us ask for help” I told my friend and started
looking around for someone more courageous than the two of us. There were a few
security guards visible at a distance but they seemed uninterested. A few
minutes later, a man came walking in our direction but we realized that he was
too drunk to understand the situation.
As my friend and I stood by the pavement, unable to take
an action, we saw a truck speeding towards the dead dog. My heart skipped a
beat realizing the possible outcome and I was about to signal the truck driver
that a dog lay on the road. But the driver realized it himself and steered the
truck so as to ensure that the dog did not come under its wheels. And the truck
continued ahead. I could not believe it. Did the truck driver not care about
the dog that lay there bleeding?
Soon, car after car and truck after truck passed the dog,
ensuring that it was not run over by them, but not a single person cared to
stop.
“I will try calling the Blue Cross” my friend said and
dialed the toll free number. No success. He tried again. No success.
The two of us stood there looking at each other. We did
not want to let the dog lie in the middle of the road but we did not have the
strength to lift it from its pool of blood.
“We cannot do anything. Let’s walk away before we see
another vehicle destroying the dog” I told my friend. “But we cannot just let
it lie there” my friend shouted. “Do you think you will be able to lift it?” I
asked him. He could not answer. “Then let’s just go” I told him. “This is so
wrong…” my friend declared, kicking the ground beneath him. He then started walking
towards the direction of my flat. I silently followed him.
An hour later, as I lay on my bed with darkness surrounding
me, I could imagine the bleeding dog getting run over by other vehicles.
“You
could have at least placed stones around the dog, letting them act like
barriers” told a voice inside me. “All you had to do was to lift the dog and place
it on the pavement – just 5 seconds of courage” told another voice. “Stop
beating yourself up. You tried your best. You were better than many others who
did not even care” told another voice. I agreed with the third voice before
feeling ashamed of it.
Are thoughts enough to express one’s compassion? Are
thoughts enough to make the society or this world a better place? If it had been
so, the countless prayers all over the world should have already made it a
paradise.
Noble thoughts suffice only for the self-affirmation of
one’s goodness but without their transformation into actions, they do not bring
about a difference.
Wishing well for a victim inside an ambulance is
definitely selfless but what difference would it make if I stood stationary on
the side lines as the ambulance got stuck amidst impatient vehicles?
Dropping a ten rupee note inside a NGO’s ‘donation box’
placed at a supermarket's bill counter is commendable but what difference
would it make if the son of my maid servant is left longing for education?
Wanting to help a dog die with dignity is great but what
difference would it make if I could not muster up enough courage to perform the
act and gave up on it blaming a selfish society?
As I pondered upon these questions, I was reminded of an
earlier post. It hurt me to realize that the writer had improved but not the
human being.
I badly wished it had been the other way.
And I also
realized that just wishing made no difference.