My aunt Hilla is eighty four years old. She holds a master’s degree in mathematics, hates housework and cooking, is unmarried and has been working since her early twenties. She still goes to work every day in a BEST bus and we tease her that she spends more on her transport than she earns and only visits her office to surf the internet on a computer which is virus free and under a maintenance contract. Hilla is fiercely independent and refuses to let her soul and body compromise to comfort. Like a lot of elderly people in Mumbai, her share portfolio and extravagance are inversely proportional.
Last Friday, Hilla was crossing the road at the pedestrian zebra crossing in front of Asiatic Library, near Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai. She waited till the traffic light turned red, the pedestrian light turned green and trudged across the road. A driver in a fancy car was impervious to her and decided to accelerate before the signal changed. He hit Hilla with his car and thirty five kilograms of my frail aunt fell down on the road. The driver stepped out of his car, picked her up, plonked her on the pavement and drove away. Hundreds of Mumbaiwallahs passed her by and did not admonish the driver or help her. Her head was buzzing; she felt dizzy and was trembling. She just sat on the pavement for a while. A woman who is worth a fortune but is under estimated because of her unpretentious demeanour.
A driver in the BEST bus that she frequently took saw her on the pavement. The driver stopped the bus on the road and asked the conductor to assist her and bring her up. They asked her what had happened and told her that they would ensure that she reached home safely. The driver stopped the bus near her south Mumbai flat. The proud lady had recovered slightly and said that she would be able to walk to her flat. She luckily did not break any bones but is in pain and is on bed rest.
Face it dear Mumbaiwallahs, it is this apathy to the environment that is taking the city downwards. The last quarter of 2009 was the first time ever that the number of new companies incorporated in Delhi was higher than Mumbai.
That's the situation with hiphop life. Dumb suckers running for life, don't have time to save someone else.
ReplyDeleteOliver Goldsmith had portrayed this long long ago when he had said "...ill fares the land hastening ills a prey,where wealth accumulates and men decay...".Feel sorry to hear about ur aunt.Hope someone is near her to comfort her in her pain and suffering.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really nice quote Shivani. Aunt is thrilled that she is featuring on internet! Indomitable spirit:)
ReplyDeleteThanks Jaky for caring so passionately at 21.
Painful post to read. And it's not just about the jerk in the car. It's about each one of us getting disconnected from the base values that make us human.
ReplyDeleteYour writing is unflinching. Hope your aunt is feeling better with all this blog-love coming her way :)
hope your aunt recovers soon..
ReplyDeleteisn't it sad to see how we have become? this fast life, no sympathy for a human being..we just don't care..
a puppy is hurt, we will rush to him; but if a human being is met with an accident, we rush past without giving him/her a second glance..really sad..
Thank you Purnima and Neha.
ReplyDeleteNeha- You hit the nail on the head. I agree that its more fashionable to care about one's pets than one parents or elders.
Hope and pray aunt Hilla is hale and hearty again. She has to take more care though as Mumbai has lost its sheen since some time. I have exactly the same issue with my dad who is 86 and does everything on his own.
ReplyDeleteOne thing from your post reassures me that Mumbai has still some of its old spirit alive. Take the case of the BEST driver who went out of his way, helped her and even dropped her close to her south Mumbai flat. He is not supposed to do it if he follows the BEST book. It is this very spirit which I have personally seen and witnessed in Mumbai which made it unique.
Since last two decades the city is definitely on a downslide and frankly speaking very scary.
Touching one...
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is that we all are at fault here. The entire way we have started living our lives with no regard whatsoever to the things that matter.
ReplyDeleteI am sure, your aunt being a strong woman will recover.
But what about us? Can we recover
? Can we all realize that life is much much more than just being dominated by our daily routine? Is it too much to stop to help someone?
Questions. Questions without solid answers.
This is my first time here!
ReplyDeleteIt is sad to know about what happened to your Aunt. I really feel that our governments are apathetic just because we are so. Caring about our environments require effort, but it surely goes a long way.
It is sad that your Aunt had to face the brunt of this. Hope she is doing well now! :)
well i think it's not just Mumbhai people but everywhere.......atleast in the parts of India i have seen......people would easily do that.....but the good thing is there are people like the bus driver who will always be ther to help the people........
ReplyDeleteAbout your aunt...she is a tough soul....working so much at this age.....i mean i have a grandmother....she is kind of her....she does all of her own chores on her own....lives alone in my native village....even when she was asked forcefully to move in with us or any one of her 5 boys....but there are people....who like to live life on ther on terms......may be i won't understand it right now....but someday i'll.......
nice post....
liked it promoting it......\,,/
With more of such incidents people may really give Mumbai to Mumbaikars and go away to live someplace where people have a heart. Sending prayers to aunt Hilla.
ReplyDelete