All men are human and this fact was driven home the other day when I waited at the footpath to cross the road. An old woman stood a little ahead, and was quite busy counting some coins in her hand. Suddenly, she turned and lost in her own thoughts, she stepped on to the road. What followed is a nightmare that is nearly impossible to describe. A jeep coming at high speed knocked her down, and the old woman lay in a crumpled heap in the middle of the road.
She was badly hurt on her forehead and blood gushed out like a spring. With a start, I realised that she was dead, and that death had been instantaneous. A small crowd had gather, and the jeep owner was trying to prove his innocence, but nobody was prepared to listen. They were all convinced that it was his rash driving that had caused her death. Luckily for him, the police station was quite near, and a constable soon appeared and took charge. Otherwise a physical beating would also have taken place.
The ambulance arrived and the old woman’s body was carried away. Someone mentioned that she lived in a nearby chawl and had two sons. They also said that she was slightly deaf. Whatever the reason for the accident, I felt that was an example of hoe the forces of fate also rule our lives. Logically, it was her inability to look after herself but as a traditional Indian I felt that her time on earth had ended. The accident was merely an excuse!
