APR 16 -
Whenever I glide through the chaotic roads of Kathmandu, the many experiences I have baffle me: unavoidable traffic jams everywhere; cows and other animals in the middle of the road; people quarreling with each other or officers to justify their violation of traffic rules, pulling up the sleeves of their shirts, ready to fight; young guys stopping their motorcycles in the centre of the road to light their next cigarette; rotten waste everywhere.
It was about 6 p.m. in Tripureswor and I was winding my way home to Kirtipur when a man on his modified motorcycle zoomed by. It swept everything along its path away with it like a storm. A lady glued to his body was, perhaps, egging him on. Speechless, I kept looking at the bike till it disappeared into the heavy traffic. How that guy managed to navigate his bike through it all still escapes me!
On the other hand, I am clueless as to how an ambulance stuck in a traffic jam, even while its siren loudly wails and its red light brightly flashes, is unable to make any progress on its way to the hospital. What must be going through the minds of the patient’s relatives at those agonising moments, I can only imagine. Are they blaming the traffic or their poor luck?
One day in the middle of the road by Ratna Park, I heard a loud siren of an ambulance approaching from behind and steered my motorcycle to the side so that it could pass. No sooner than had I moved my bike to the side, a gentleman behind me with a luxurious car overtook me followed by what seemed to be an endless stream of motorcycles. The ambulance for which I had moved out of the way remained stuck. People in an air-conditioned cars and uncaring motorcycle drivers, it seems, couldn’t even be bothered to consider the needs of those who might be fighting for their very lives inside the ambulance.
Is it just me or are city dwellers not only losing their patience, but their very humanity? Everyone seems to be in hurry to get their jobs done, nevermind if they might be hampering someone else in the process.
I read an article based on the testimony of an ambulance driver. According to the driver, most of the emergency cases they attend to are life threatening, especially when they turn on their lights and sirens. Emergency driving is very difficult. Ambulances sometimes have to violate road rules to get to the scene of an emergency quickly. These ambulance drivers really do have a tough job. Can’t we help them do their jobs effectively, and more importantly, save lives in the process, by giving up five minutes of our time on the road?
During a programme in Kantipur television last week, Rabindra Mishra, a journalist associated with BBC Nepali Service, was talking about the responsibility of each citizen to contribute towards the betterment of his or her society. The least we could do is show a little empathy towards our countrymen when they are fighting for their very survival.
abamritofficial@gmail.com
Published in Kathmandu Post on 16th April, 2010.
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