Just few days back, I was on my way to my office. Suddenly, the sedan in front of me applied its brake and before I knew what had happened, there was a loud sound - bang. My last memory of that accident was my car's inability to stop. While I tried to figure out what went wrong, the driver in front came charging out. To my surprise, instead of beating me up (which has become a regular feature on Delhi streets) he charged a lady that was leisurely crossing the street. The whole story was now clear. The lady had dashed suddenly and the car in front had no option but to hit the pedal with all the thrust. I was slightly late to hit the pedal; to add to this, probably, my car's braking ability did not match the sedan's might. The driver ascertained the damage and finding none, left the scene of action. I also moved ahead, lucky to avoid a scuffle with him. But getting down and inspecting closely, I found that the bonnet was completely damaged. Getting the car repaired was definitely an irritant, more so when my car was the only means to reach my work place. But at the garage, I was pleased to know that they were quite willing to offer a replacement car free of cost till my car was brought back into action. They kept my passport and I got their car.
The broken bonnet (like any other problem in life) required some time and cost to be fixed. The cost of the damage here would partially be borne by the insurance company. But I too had to pay - pay in terms of the remaining cost, pay by carrying the fear of driving and hitting someone again (which only happened yesterday when someone banged me again), the fear of using someone else's car that too could get damaged (incidentally, it broke down on new year's eve, the very day I was taking it home) and many other things. But with this cost comes some learning. The wise men do not require broken bonnets. But then, wisdom comes only after breaking a few bonnets.
In the last few weeks, many an events warrant a comment. The massive Tsunami lashed out on many parts of South-east Asia leaving about two lakh people dead or missing. It is being said that it took about three hours for the waves to reach India from the epicentre of the earthquake that caused this havoc. But while the government slept, it was left for the news channel to report the damage when the tragedy had already transpired. Now the president wants a system to detect Tsunami, when it conjectured that Tsunami comes roughly every ten thousand years or more.
Deaths or accidents are not new or uncommon to India. Nor they should be. It is a simple reflection of the way our systems are built. Be it the signalling systems in railways or the traffic movements, or the naked power lines merely few feet away from balconies, the danger is inherent. It is just in our abilities to adapt to these imperfections that cause much lesser damage than the imperfect systems demand.
Daily, I cross a railway crossing. The guard operates through a shabby room. Quite a few times, I have seen red flags blocking the railway tracks, an indication that I interpreted as a faulty signal. Everyday, I wondered what all equipment or signalling systems were there in the room enabling the guard to manage the crossing. The red flags too were an enigma to me. One day, I entered the guard's room only to find that there was no equipment in there except a very old fashioned telephone. I asked the guard how he operated and he nonchalantly said that he had all the things that he required. He further added that someday there would a major accident here as the crossing was officially not a crossing and that it required the station head-master's permission to be opened. The red flags were merely a substitute for the missing signal, indicating that the crossing was open and that the train should tread cautiously. I wondered what all could possibly happen in heavy dew. There were so many possibilities and some times they did materialize. As a train collision took place only few weeks back where two trains hit head on. Train accidents are not new. But what are the lessons from the numerous broken bonnets that every one of us has witnessed so far. I see none that has brought appreciable differences in our lives.
Few months back, Christiano Junior died in the finals of a prestigious national level football competition. Even at that level, there were no medical personnel to provide emergency help to the gasping footballer. The man, who had came all over from Brazil, went back in his coffin with a distraught wife. Since then, there are reports that football matches have emergency medical assistance to tackle situations like these. It still remains to be seen how sincere or effective the steps will be.
At a macro level, certain trends clearly emerge. First of all, there is no premium on anyone's life. Death should be deemed sacrosanct and come under ultimate situation. But in our country, death is cheap and a routine affair. 60 died in Godhra by suffocating inside a burning train. But there were no emergency exits. 1000 more died in the aftermath, and you can see the farcical drama acted in the news channels involving one of the victims who now says she was coerced into making false affidavits. The presence of weak police and an ineffective judiciary makes the act of murder much less risky than it ought to be. This is only one part. The second part is the that makes death trivial is the margin we leave for errors. Our lives are always on the edge. Just like my car. One misplaced nut in the system and my bonnet went kaput. Similar is the case with overloaded buses, lorries and boats whose accidents are routine affairs.
Apart from the margins, there is a wilful violation of laws or norms: Jumping red lights or crossing roads when subways are there; or sending 10 children on a rickshaw that can carry just two people. The outcome is a society that has lost the definitions of right or wrong, the legal and the illegal. Bonnets keep on getting broken. Some are lucky to survive after denting. Some meet their last. What lessons are learnt? Is there any improvement? Or is the urban landscape now fraught with ever increasing danger.
The third angle relates to the theory that we are a poor country. Thus, people may die in absence of medical attention but help may not be forthcoming. But I believe that no way are we a poor country. The notion of monetary weakness allows us to be misgoverned and be convinced that it is due to lack of resources. The poverty is in the minds than at the banks. The foreign exchange coffers are flowing with over 120 billion dollars of reserve. A bulk of financial transactions is in black rather than in white. And the lament remains that we are a poor country.
Among this lament, what is the way out? India's solution and its problems lie in its people. If the 1billion people come together, there is so much that can be achieved. And if each charters his/her own course, there is collision and broken bonnets. Taking everyone together like a battalion in a march past is not easy. It requires great leaders, but none are forthcoming. Then?
What about me? What were my learnings? Of course, changes in the society are not easy to bring about? But at least, I can increase the margins: all types of margin that endanger my life of lives of those around me. That is for starters. The next step is to pay for the increased margin and shun those who are insensitive to it. For example, I may not choose to send my children to school in rickshaws that are not safe. If people start paying for additional safety, then obviously the costs of living would increase but so will the safety levels. In developed countries, there may be lot of wastage, but that allows the shops to serve only the best to the customers. It then boils to increased safety and comfort at an expense. This would avoid accidents like people dying after consuming illicit liquor. The next step would obviously happen at a macro level where institutional changes have a salubrious impact on our lives.
More some other time. Wishing you all a happy and more importantly a safe 2005.
Chachu 14/01/2005
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