This is a true story.
This happened three months back. It was supposed to be a road trip to Jaipur. It was peak winter, and winters in North India can be nasty. Thick fog reduces visibility to near zero and the winter chill can paralyze you to staying wrapped in a warm quilt all day. Life was boring and drudgery. Finally there was something exciting to look forward to.
It was supposed to be a road trip to Jaipur. A+ had relocated to Bangalore a few months back and A-, his better half was still in Delhi. Three of us had loads of fun the previous night. My frustrated job hunt finally was showing good traction and i had an offer from a global media giant. I decided to bunk office, borrowed my dad car, picked A+ and A- from their pad in Vasant kunj and hit the NH8. We explored a haunted city, went to Jaipur and explored the charms of the old palaces there. Soon it was night and we decided to drive back to Delhi, spend the night at Vasant Kunj and go home in the morning, as A+ had to leave for Delhi the following day.
It was around 12:15 am, we were some 90 km from Jaipur and A+ had taken over the wheels from me. We passed by a mangled heap of metal, with a dozen men standing by it, staring at a woman crying loudly, looking for help. There were some trucks parked before and after the mangled vehicle. Almost all vehicles were slowing down, looking at the scene, and passing on. We decided to stop and see whats wrong. A+ braked, i got off and rushed to her. She was newly married, still wearing her choora that the newly married women wear. As soon as she saw me, she came and clung to me, shouting please save me, please save my husband, he is still trapped inside, but he is breathing, please take him to the hospital. She was sobbing, she was clueless, her helplessness was palpable. I realised, being from Delhi, she had seen a protector in me, and it was upto me to stay there, help her or just leave from there, like 99.9% people passing the highway did that night.
We took her husbands body out, then this lady, A+, A- with the body in my car drove to the nearest hospital, 26 km away. The guy died within minutes of us reaching the hospital. Next few hours were difficult, as we called her relatives through my phone, and waited for them to reach us here in this village. Police came, senior medical officer came, but they appreciated our help, no one gave us any kind of trouble. People served us tea, police people stood by us the whole night, talking to us. We couldnt save the guy. We couldnt keep our word to the lady. She had become a widow in the last few hours, it was a shock for her, and she was in a daze. When she spoke to her father in law, the words wouldnt come. We stepped out and cried, but we dint cry in front of her.
Three of us drove back to delhi at around 5 am again. Shaken, with blood on our backseat and memories of a night, we will never forget a lifetime. We often think about her. How her life would have been different if we had not gone to jaipur that day, may be none of this would have happened.
This happened three months back. It was supposed to be a road trip to Jaipur. It was peak winter, and winters in North India can be nasty. Thick fog reduces visibility to near zero and the winter chill can paralyze you to staying wrapped in a warm quilt all day. Life was boring and drudgery. Finally there was something exciting to look forward to.
It was supposed to be a road trip to Jaipur. A+ had relocated to Bangalore a few months back and A-, his better half was still in Delhi. Three of us had loads of fun the previous night. My frustrated job hunt finally was showing good traction and i had an offer from a global media giant. I decided to bunk office, borrowed my dad car, picked A+ and A- from their pad in Vasant kunj and hit the NH8. We explored a haunted city, went to Jaipur and explored the charms of the old palaces there. Soon it was night and we decided to drive back to Delhi, spend the night at Vasant Kunj and go home in the morning, as A+ had to leave for Delhi the following day.
It was around 12:15 am, we were some 90 km from Jaipur and A+ had taken over the wheels from me. We passed by a mangled heap of metal, with a dozen men standing by it, staring at a woman crying loudly, looking for help. There were some trucks parked before and after the mangled vehicle. Almost all vehicles were slowing down, looking at the scene, and passing on. We decided to stop and see whats wrong. A+ braked, i got off and rushed to her. She was newly married, still wearing her choora that the newly married women wear. As soon as she saw me, she came and clung to me, shouting please save me, please save my husband, he is still trapped inside, but he is breathing, please take him to the hospital. She was sobbing, she was clueless, her helplessness was palpable. I realised, being from Delhi, she had seen a protector in me, and it was upto me to stay there, help her or just leave from there, like 99.9% people passing the highway did that night.
We took her husbands body out, then this lady, A+, A- with the body in my car drove to the nearest hospital, 26 km away. The guy died within minutes of us reaching the hospital. Next few hours were difficult, as we called her relatives through my phone, and waited for them to reach us here in this village. Police came, senior medical officer came, but they appreciated our help, no one gave us any kind of trouble. People served us tea, police people stood by us the whole night, talking to us. We couldnt save the guy. We couldnt keep our word to the lady. She had become a widow in the last few hours, it was a shock for her, and she was in a daze. When she spoke to her father in law, the words wouldnt come. We stepped out and cried, but we dint cry in front of her.
Three of us drove back to delhi at around 5 am again. Shaken, with blood on our backseat and memories of a night, we will never forget a lifetime. We often think about her. How her life would have been different if we had not gone to jaipur that day, may be none of this would have happened.
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