This gives me goosebumps when I visualize the site Ramulu pushing dead body of Kavita on a push cart. My first emotion was sympathy towards him and his dead wife. But after reading, it raised many questions in my heart.
1. Ramulu had leprosy and was a street beggar. His wife died of acute illness. He wanted to bury his wife at his native village which was 80kms away from his present location.
2. Ambulance wanted Rs. 5000 to carry her body from "A street beggar" with leprosy.
3. 50kms he walked with push cart with a dead body and none of lacks of 'Live" people could even see that.
4. When body started smelling and he started crying inconsolably, people gathered collected money for her transportation and burial.
Now lets evaluate ourselves, let us all feel in what kind of space we are in today.
A street beggar with leprosy was there on the streets though leprosy has completely been eradicated from India but 58% of total amount of new cases are still reported in India.
Ramulu never knew that there are different programs run all over country for the problem he had. Of Course he had more important things to accomplish like food and shelter !
What to say on the apathy of Hospitals and the ambulance they are providing for emergencies. A lot has been said on this. They are our saviour, sorry 'saviour' of those who have ample money. So, it was insane on part of Ramulu to think that ambulance will come and won't charge him 5000/- to deport his wife's body.
Ramulu seems to be very very poor, must be below poverty line but obviously he did not know anything about the schemes being run by Govt for people like him. He was illiterate, sick and poor citizen of India but still he wanted to bury his wife at her native village though it was 80 km far. How can he dream so big !
And the most interesting part of this story was people like us who must have known this beggar begging at some signal or a particular street, people who might have given him few coins on Tuesdays or Saturdays, people who must have seen him pushing the cart with a dead body on the way to his village, and people who must have seen him but ignored him completely as if he does not exist around.
Now this happens when we and our environment is dead and it is not alive now because we all are also like the dead body of kavita. Our dead bodies don't need a push cart, we drag ourselves daily from our houses, we crawl on streets, lay dead in our offices and again crawl back to homes and die with a sleep. Only to follow this routine next day.
This "real story" is one of the best slaps on our faces in recent times. Its the people who make or break a society. I wish everyone to be like circle inspector of Vikarabad who decided to help this beggar. His one thought sparked the hope. And if hope is there, we can also again take birth.
And this will stay always with me.
What about you?
