The other day, while I was waiting in my office cab at a traffic signal, I heard a wailing siren. What I was imagining to be a Delhi PCR van turned out to be an ambulance with a red beacon, most probably carrying some emergency patient to a hospice. My cab driver (who I’m guessing isn’t all that educated) swerved to his left to allow the green-and-white ambulance to pass, as did the car driver in front of me.
Ironically, a hefty man (who looked as if he had gone to one of those pompous elite schools), refused to budge, much to my annoyance, and subsequent horror.
Meanwhile the shrieking ambulance honked plaintively behind the monstrosity that that particular man was driving.
My pulling down the cab-window, and yelling at him to pull over and let the ambulance pass, only resulted in him shaking my fist at me and asking me to mind my own business.
Just as I turned a bright shade of crimson in ire, and was about to alight from my cab and tell him a thing or two, an elderly gentleman emerged from his car, and calmly told the menacing stranger to pull over and let the ambulance pass.
When the rude man saw that everyone meant business, he grudgingly made way for the ambulance, which zoomed off.
Before we could say anything else to the surly chap, he had stepped into his SUV, and also went whizzing past us, disregarding the red traffic light.
Rolling our eyes, the senior gentleman and I made our way respectively to our cars, and were on our way.
But not without thinking, what had our world come to, where some people were so inured to others’ pain, that they wouldn’t even be bothered to abide by basic humanity, leave alone courtesy.
A pitiful lot, such people make me think, would they forgive others who would respond the same way if their own loved ones were in need of urgent medical assistance?
I bet they wouldn’t.
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