"Samaritan wanted"

"Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way." Swami Vivekananda.

First of all, my prayers are with the injured and the victims of the recent Earthquake in Nepal. Nature fury is unpredictable despite human efforts in research and scientific development. What has happened with our neighbor country Nepal is truly heartbreaking. However, let us not forget them in our daily prayers and together we can help rebuild Nepal. If anyone would like donate relief fund for Nepal earthquake, please visit Paytm site: https://paytm.com/ where in you can donate any amount in the denominations of Rs. 10, 20, 50 and so on. To be clear, I'm not a representative of Paytm or promoting it but I thought it is a good platform for donation based on my experience.

On the other hand, it seemed all major news channels battling in order to gain the highest TPR rating while reporting the latest updates of Nepal earthquake. And I'm really appalled to see some of the TV news anchor reporting enthusiastically with every shades of competition as if the unfortunate incident is drama (usually known in India as “Tamasha”) just in order to attract more TV news audience. At this juncture, I'm not sure if the news channels are reporting news or selling news or spreading panic and anxiety at large. Of course, journalist’s duty is to report news but with integrity of journalism and to instill sensitivity with calmness to audience regarding the updates on the casualties, injured, and the latest updates on the earthquake aftershock.

Panic and anxiety are best known to be the root cause of our error in judgement. And to deal natural disaster with panic, it will always do more harm thereby risking our life unnecessarily. The aftershock of earthquake will continue to hit some parts of India at regular intervals as confirmed by the experts. However, know that the experts have also mentioned we do not need to worry about it. It is true that nothing can prepare you better at the time of disaster except your wise decision and calm demeanor. I wish if the news channels were more sensitive rather than instilling fear to public at large. Therefore, I checked in the internet and I have found the precaution steps to be followed during an earthquake or aftershock. See the screenshot below:

Screenshot courtesy: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-disasters/earthquake-safety-tips

Most importantly, the news channels should provide information on how the TV audience in India can help or donate relief fund rather than just providing the videos and the pictures.

Thank you. Have a good evening!

"Essence"

Good Afternoon!

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” Albert Einstein.

Strangely, I'm really enjoying the coach ride from my nodal point to office every day. While I'm traveling in the coach, I can feel the sense of safety and security unlike traveling in a cab… :) In addition, I can enjoy seeing the serenity of trees by the road, the mushroom like silver mirage near AIIMS, the Yamuna River, multiples of Billboards around DND toll plaza, the extravagant statues of National Dalit Inspiration Place and Green Garden (Noida), etc. In spite of all the daily routines of honking, the traffic jam, the adrenaline rush of many drivers but the real beauty for me is the multitudes of new young leaf growing on the branches of most trees by the road. The young leaves are not very greenish rather lightest green in a purest form. It really seemed to me like fireflies in a clear daylight. Seeing the new leaf dancing every moment with the wind direction is a pure delight and proved the world is still beautiful.

Indeed! It is spring season, the best of the four seasons we have in a year. It makes sense to me now why the Hindu calendar popularly used in North India celebrates the New Year in the month of March or April every year... :) I guess very new start has to be new in order to replace the old. Of course, beauty of this season will fade away with time yet the essence of it beauty will always lingers in one's thought. I can still remember the Good Samaritan who gave us a lift along with my brother when we were waiting for a bus to go home for summer vacation in the year 2006. We were so excited leaving the hostel for a month long vacation right after the final examination, and we both were not ready to wait for the next morning for the journey home.

It was already dusk and after waiting for nearly 2 hours, unfortunately, there were not even a single bus heading to Imphal arrived. And both of us have given up for the day and starts mapping out a plan for early morning journey. On our way back to hostel, a Santro car just stopped by the side of the road and the guy from inside the car asked us, “Where are you two going?” And he continued, “Are you both going home for vacation?” I guessed he noticed our luggage and moreover it was summer vacation time for higher secondary schools in Manipur. Although I was skeptical about his questions but anyway I answered, “We were planning to go home for vacation but there are no bus heading to Imphal.”

He then replied, “I'm also heading to Imphal, and both of you can join me in the car since all of us are heading in the same direction.” I looked at my brother and he told me, “Let’s take the lift offered, anyway we need to get home and maybe he needs us as he also traveling alone.” I agreed with my brother point and we accepted the guy offer. And we both reached home safely by late evening shocking the hell out of our parents… :) His offer to help us knowing that we may be stranded on the road with luggage, and despite our hesitancy in the first place, still lingers in my heart and thoughts. I guess the caring with the eagerness to help people is one of the most beautiful essences of our life here on earth.

Why do we prefer a red rose over other flowers in Valentine’s Day even though the rose has thorns and yet we'd still risk our finger getting hurt? The simple fact is we believed red rose signifies love and the unique aroma of it scent. Yes! Red rose signifying true love is the essence. And the very essence of spring season is the rebirth of most nature around us. Mahatma Gandhi said, “Each night when I go to sleep, I die. And the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn.” Yesterday is the past, and today is the gift to do something good worth remembering. I'm concluding this blog with the wise thoughts of William Arthur Ward.

“The adventure of life is to learn. The purpose of life is to grow. The nature of life is to change. The challenge of life is to overcome. The essence of life is to care. The opportunity of life is to serve. The secret of life is to dare. The spice of life is to befriend. The beauty of life is to give. The joy of life is to love.”

Thank you. Have a good evening!

"Apathy"

"No matter who says what, you should accept it with a smile and do your own work.”

How many of us has walked pass when an accident happened on the road? Although I do not have an accurate answer on the question but I believed most of us would have avoided the situation because we do not want to get involve with police case or we have a prior important work to be done. I came across accident news reported on 15 April 2013 where a mother and child were both bleed to death as no passerby stopped for assistance. And the most horrifying scene captured in CCTV about the accident is that the husband was pleading for help from the passersby for more than 40 minutes and yet no one stopped to help/assist. One hour later, the police arrived and they took the mother and the child to hospital but both were declared death on arrival.

If there was assistance from the passerby, I’m sure the mother and child would’ve survived. Sadly, we've lost them both because of our fear or our apathy in helping accident victims not related to us. According to government report, during the past ten years, over 11 lakh people have lost their lives and 55 lakh seriously injured or permanently disabled. The figure is astronomical. If we have done our duty as a good citizen, the figure could have been 11 lakh lives saved. We may regret about our apathy to help others however it is not going to comfort our conscience. But we can change and we can turn this around. The least we can do to help the accident victims is to call the Ambulance and stay with the injured until the ambulance arrives. The earlier stereotype ‘if I help an accident victim, I will be prosecuted by the police and will be summoned to appear in court’ is gone.

The committee appointed by Supreme Court has recommended any person assisting the accident victims should not be subjected to civil and criminal liability. Also, the helpers shall not be forced to disclose their identity and shall not be called to appear for court hearings. This is very good news for us from the government. For details, please see the screenshot below which I have extracted from Times of India.

I hope the screenshot helps.

The quotes I have written in the beginning are the words of Mother Teresa. And I’m always inspired by Mother Teresa selfless service toward the sick, leper, poor, etc. in Kolkata when other people were scared to go near them. Yet, Mother Teresa defied all logic's and treats the sick and the leper like her own children. Her selfless service towards the poor, sick and leper of Kolkata was recognized by the Nobel Prize committee and she was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize in the year 1979. The criticism she gets from people like Aroup Chatterjee, Christopher Hitchens and Tariq Ali did not deter her from helping the sick and the leper. And even after she passed away, it certainly did not deter her Mission of Charity foundation to help people.

Often, the bystander who just stood and watched turns out to be critic or else he/she would have help instead of just watching and digging out the reason on why the person is helping another person. Selfless service comes with sacrifice and love for one another. It just me or we all have this tendency of looking things in a negative perspective. I guess the first thought that comes to our mind when we see a street dog coming towards our direction, we think ‘the dog will bite me’ and then we simply shoo away the dog. Is it not possible the dog was happy to see you and was expecting a biscuit from you? Our negative approach is the factor which has claimed the lives of over 11 lakhs accidents victim we could have saved. And I’m equally part of it but we can change our attitude with positive approach right here and now. We can all join our hands together and helps one another like family.

Food for Thought: “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” Abraham Lincoln.

Thank you. Have a good evening!