According to the historians there are only about 400
Samaritans remaining today. They are referring to an ethnic group that was
re-located in Samaria about 800 BC by the then king of Assyria. They were
despised by the Jews, who considered themselves a “pure” race; while the
Samarians were of mixed origin.
Why such interest today in the Samaritans of yesteryear?
They do not concern me. What does, is the diminishing number of Good Samaritans
in today’s world. This piece is occasioned by a disturbing TV visual on 16th
June, of a grievously injured man on a busy Delhi road. He is bleeding
profusely and struggling to stand and flag down a passing vehicle. Every one of
them, including an ambulance, zooms past.
A year ago, thousands of Delhi-ites thronged the streets
to protest the gang rape and murder of a young woman. Now where were the
sanctimonious protestors? Was there no political mileage to be derived against
a “strong Prime Minister”, who had, in the past, equated some deaths to that of
a puppy being crushed under the wheels of a car?
We know that the “Good Samaritan” refers to a person who
goes out of his way to help somebody in need. Jesus was reminding his disciples
about the greatest commandment, to love those in need. To illustrate his point
he told them the parable of the “Good Samaritan”. Why did Jesus choose a priest
and a Samaritan for this parable? Perhaps because the priestly class considered
themselves a cut above the rest. They were self-righteous. In contrast the
Samaritans were despised in Jewish society, much like our “low castes” of
today. Was this a subtle reminder that our actions should speak louder than our
status or birthright? In today’s cyber world it is also a reminder that it’s
easy to sign an online petition on Facebook or Twitter, but to face up to those
in need is a different ball game. Risk taking is very different from the
charitable doles that many social organizations and NGOs excel in.
Why do well-heeled people not take risks? Because they
have too much at stake, and don’t want to mess up their reputations. A famous
sociologist stated, “Violence is the option of those who have nothing to lose”.
The same goes for risk taking. The one who cares a damn for what “others will
say” will be ready to take risks.
The day of the Delhi incident was poignant for me, because
that very morning I got confirmation that I had been instrumental in saving the
life of an accident victim. The accident had occurred much earlier, on 29th
April, the eve of the parliamentary elections in my hometown, Kanpur. It was
late evening, and I was rushing back to work, from a memorial prayer service,
when I saw a figure slumped over a cycle in the middle of the road. I stopped.
It was an old man in a threadbare kurta and dhoti. He was bleeding profusely.
Others stopped out of curiosity. I managed to get the victim to the side of the
road. Somebody dialed 100 for the cops and 108 for the ambulance. Nothing
happened. Finally a passerby offered to take the victim in his car to a
hospital. I held the man in my arms as we rushed him to the Emergency Centre of
the local LLR Hospital, about 5 kms away. We got him admitted, but the doctors
on duty wanted money to conduct a CT Scan, because of the severe head injuries.
I phoned the Secretary to the District Magistrate, even though I knew that they
were all busy with the elections. He put me in touch with the Sector
Magistrate, who asked me to call back if there was a “problem”. Hearing my
telephonic conversations the doctors said that they would do whatever they had
to. There was apparently no need to call the DM, CM or the PM!
After ensuring that the treatment had begun, I rushed back
to my workstation to close shop, as the next day was Election Day. I had left
my visiting card, and also tried to contact people based on an electricity bill
that I had found in the victim’s pocket. Since I could not access the hospital
the next day, because of the elections, I had asked some colleagues nearer to
the hospital to check out on the victim.
There was no trace of him. That was until 16th
June, when a young man who had assisted me at that time, came to tell me that
the victim had been identified, shifted to a private hospital and had
recovered. The story hasn’t ended. The son of “the old man in a frayed kurta on
a cycle” came to see his father in an air-conditioned Toyota Innova! I wondered
who was the poorer, the father or the son?
Just a month after that incident, on 30th May,
I was cycling, yes cycling, to church for the evening May devotions. On the way
I spotted another old man, semi-nude, lying on the side of the road. After the
service I persuaded the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity (they needed
some persuasion) to pick up the old man and admit him to their home for the destitute,
something that I have often done.
When I went to pick up the man I found that his body was
stiff. He must have died some hours earlier, perhaps due to the intense heat
wave. Wonder if he also had a Toyota –driving son somewhere? Nevertheless I dialed
100, and the cops responded with alacrity. There was still a surprise in store
for me. A few minutes later I received a message on my mobile from the office
of the District Magistrate, thanking me for calling the police, and giving me a
“Call for Service”’ ID No. I now carry that around in my pocket, not knowing
when I will get the next call for service! Will it be another old man, or a
hot-blooded youngster?
The cemetery in my native village of Aldona in Goa has
this cryptic message, in Konkani, at its entrance “Aiz Maka, Falia Tuka”.
It literally means, “Today it is me, tomorrow it could be you”. A grim reminder
indeed, to all of us. So let us not be afraid of the hassles or consequences,
and step out to help those in need. Who knows, tomorrow I may be the one in
need.
There may be only 400 ethnic Samaritans in modern day
Samaria, that is now situated in Palestine, along the West Bank, north west of
Jerusalem; but we need many more Good Samaritans on the killer roads of India.
It is worth “risking one’s reputation” to save a precious life.
JUNE 2014
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