The Path

Kids, they are so innocent , so naive and have the capability to make anyone smile irrespective of the situation. As adults, we come to realize that we are messed up machines. We feel one thing, do another, hide our true feelings, and lie almost constantly to ourselves and those around us. This is normal, normal for a sick society, which is just what we have. So for these reasons and many more, I just love kids and the way they behave.

Every morning I am used to get early and wait for the vehicle to pick me and drop at my office which is some 40 kms away from the place I live. The vehicle passes through parts of the city, several parts of countryside which provides soothing effect to the eyes. The small ponds, the greenery ,those herd of animals, mountains and the early morning sky fascinates and makes one feel good. But of all these things the one thing which makes me smile the most and makes me remember the old days is when I see small kids holding out their parents hand and walking across the road , crossing the road cheerfully hopping and while some of them crying while entering the school. Kids, they never pretend to love some one when they don’t. They love people , not as an act, but as an expression of the life they are.
Every morning while on my way to my office my vehicle used to pass through around 10 schools. Looking at those small kids used to cheer me up and make me feel I should love my job, howsoever boring and monotonous it was.
It was one usual week-day, I was on my way to the office and was looking around the schools at those wonderful kids. Suddenly I saw a SUV coming down the road driving at full speed and there were kids crossing the road, some holding their parents hand and some just laughing and enjoying around with their parents having an eye over them. In a matter of few seconds the vehicle came running towards a kid and it collided with the mother of that kid who was holding his hand. The kid, a small girl, started crying not because she had bruises but because she saw her mother knocked over and in pain. The SUV driver was some lady in her early 20’s and she expressed her shock and grievance after noticing the accident. My vehicle halted for a while and then moved on as soon as we saw an auto-rickshaw taking the mother of the kid, supposedly to some hospital. I had a mood swing and was just not able to hide my sorrow for that kid and her mother. The scene of that accident was not easy to forget. The accident made a kid cry and no kid should cry. Kids are meant to smile, never meant to cry.
The day went without a single smile on my face, not even talking to few special people made me smile. It was just one bad day and I was not able to get over that sight. I came back at my home that evening, unusually more tired that day. I had my evening cup of tea and started wondering about the accidents which occur every day not only in our country but all across the globe.
Nearly 1.5 million people die in accidents in India every year. It may sound astonishing but yes our country ranks first in this parameter. While with every passing year the number of accidents is decreasing globally, its vice versa for our country. The number of accidents is increasing in our country and there are scores of reasons for it.
The thing with accidents is we, the people of India, never ever take it seriously. We watch accident occur, thank the Lord that it was not us or any of our family member and just move on and forget that incident. There are several committees on road safety made by our government, not to blame any particular party because no party is sane enough, and they speak and make promises and we all know what actually happens.

According to a report of WHO (World Health Organisation) , India loses nearly 20 billion dollars of money due to road accidents. This much amount of money is more than enough to feed nearly 50 % of the malnourished kids of our country. Kids, they are never meant to be hungry. No one is meant to be hungry, but with kids they should never be hungry.
Annually more than 15 lakhs people die in accidents in our country compared to 2000 people in terrorist and maoist attacks, and the media reports about terrorism but never gives the same importance and coverage to accidents and neither , we the people. Its not that here I am trying to justify some sort of killing over the other. Its just that the number speaks for themselves. Media can have a strong say and educate the common people over accidents. No one deserves to die because of some one else’s fault and no one deserves to be killed.
Accidents are caused due to various reasons. People drink and drive and feel as if they are doing some real cool thing and they would create some world record or something. There are the one’s who speed with the wish to emulate Vettel or certain Rossi. There are the one’s who talk over that cell phone of their ‘s with their dear-ones and in the meanwhile take the life of the dear one’s of others. Also there are those who don’t wear helmets and the ones who never have their seat-belt tied.
For every road accident caused, the politician’s , the local police-men or the eye witness have any of the above mentioned reason. But there are other reasons too. The condition of the roads in our nation is in shambles. It’s too hard even to find a single kilometer of a road in a proper condition at a stretch. Here, I am not mentioning about roads of very posh places or the road leading towards a politician’s home. The same contractors are given the tender every time even though the Municipal corporation knows about the bad construction history the contractor has. The roads don’t last even for a month after they are laid. Its beyond my understanding as why is the government not able to provide us with good roads even after taking so much of our earning. Of all the things the government falsely promises am sure even if they provide us with good roads and transport facilities , we could have a better life.
Not more than 30% of the total accidents which occur are ever recorded. The wrong data gives wrong interpretations to the government, even though they know everything. No accident is ever scientifically investigated. So the real cause and consequences are never known.
Vehicles kill , innocent victim dies and the accused is alive.
After that day of that incident I didn’t see that small girl near the school building for nearly a month. Maybe she used to enter the school before my vehicle passed that school or maybe she used to arrive few minutes late. But yes I was not able to get that smile back on my face.
Nearly a month later , I was sitting in the front seat that alongside the driver, I saw a small girl looking like that same little angel girl walking across the road. She had a lady holding out her hand. The lady was her mother and to my delight I smiled and I was so happy. But my happiness turned into bitterness as soon as I saw that lady with one of her hand amputated. She had lost her left hand in the accident.
But the lady had a smile over her face, the smile which depicted the happiness she had to have her child alive and happy. That was the love of a mother towards her child. Seeing the child and the mother happy made me smile again. And it became nearly a routine to see those two people every morning.
Their appearance never failed to bring a smile on my face, howsoever disturbed and tensed I used to be. Nature and the lord have their wonders, but the wonder which a Kid’s smile can do is fathomless and is pure divine.
This mother-daughter pair was lucky that none of them died. But it’s not always as luck for everyone.
So be safe and be cautious on road, because as not every person who gets cancer is an active smoker ; the same way not every person who dies in an accident is guilty and vice-versa.
Drive safe, live long.