Help others: its takes a few fucking minutes!

Help Other – ‘Why?’ they ask… Why not I retort?

First rains in Mumbai and its the usual chaos. The fear of those who have borne the brunt of the 26/6/2005 is alive every rains from then on. Especially the first BIG rain.

As a city, we have been programmed to live with potholes, power cuts, accidents, stalling vehicles, cancelled train.. basically anything and everything which can be prefixed or suffixed with chaos!

As its citizens, we are programmed to live in chaos. Its gets even more prominent in such a situation! Even more stressful with this ‘chaotic’ behaviour..

A few incidents I experience as I walk out from office for my home that shook me up on what this city (and its people) are slowly turning into.

Scene 1: A poor chap on his stalling bike with luggage in his hand trying hard to juggle with the luggage and start his bike. People see, people laugh some even click pics and that’s it. What will anyone do with a pic like that? Send it to FaceBook to show how people are suffering in Mumbai due to first rains? That’s it?
I go, help the guy… He is programmed to disbelief. He shakes his head in disbelief in the thought of a neatly-dressed-seemingly-educated man wait and offer help of push starting his bike. But he doesn’t have too many options so he accepts. To the amusement of people. Who whistle and make funny noises. ‘Appreciation’ I conveniently suppose.

Scene 2: A blind man, probably confused with why the station is flooded with so many people is disoriented on how to reach the bridge. Everyone sees him, but are running around brushing him and completely ‘being blind’ to him! I hope some of them do get to experience atleast a short term darkness in their life! Again the ‘retarded’ me helps, him to the bridge where he wanted to go. Ask him if he needs further help which he replies in negative and he thanks and leaves.

Scene 3: The Metropolitan city, the economic capital of the country probably has the worst infrastructure possible when it comes to public transport. Yes, it is over utilised, its choked BY the people, but then that’s the Governments job to ‘service’ the society and provide the social needs.
Impose entry restrictions if need be, and budget for the resources. ATLEAST Key resources like public transport.
As any ordinary citizen of this metropolitan city, I cannot even dream of buying a ‘shelter’ near my work place even if I part away with my kidney, a lung, an arm, a part of my brain, a gallon full of sperms, and add to it an alternate profession of prostitution over and above my ‘decent’ qualification, and my ‘decently’ paying job.
I understand Mumbai has a shortage of space, so atleast give us quality public transport so that we can travel ‘faster, smarter and in a better’ manner? Here comes and train, and this is the station where the trains ‘start’ from. Churchgate. Every idiot knows that if they don’t get into a train while its still moving. They won’t get a seat. Yes! This is the starting station, and there’s ATLEAST 7 major ’employment-generating-hubs’ stations for it to cater to.
The train comes, people jump in… Almost trampling someone and shoving him under the train. Thankfully almost.
NO one stops for him. After all what’s more important, a fellow idiots life OR the very preciously scarce seat! No competition!
It wasn’t me, and sadly I couldn’t help the guy as I am just staring at the event and not ‘jump’ into the train… I step back, wondering what I am becoming.

You probably see this all the while too… I just hope that this useless rant of mine wakes you up and makes you help atleast someone. All it would have taken anyone is probably 2minutes in the first case, 5minutes in the second one… And may be a long while in the third case. (No wonder am still at churchgate! Writing! Overhearing the announcements of the cancelled trains! But atleast I am back to writing!)

Help someone, especially someone in need… Its probably your ONLY way of ‘Being Human’

You never know, your two minutes here could probably mean a lot to someone directly, indirectly. All it takes is a few minutes.