Apathy

My heart is crying since morning. Looking for a place where I can weep and vent out my emotions. But as we grow old crying is kind of a weakness and rather its does not do any purpose. So here why not I pour my feelings and at least give them a shape. Well, today an incident happened which jolted me from my sleep or my comfort zone and showed me world of immense pain and 'Apathy'. Today due to the All India Bandh our regular domestic help did not turn up for work. I asked my landlady to send the lady working at her place to ours for washing dishes. Now, problem starts here could I not wash a few dishes on my own (which I used to do daily twice in Switzerland for year and a half as there are no domestic helps available at reasonable price and we didn't have a dishwasher in our apartment )? Although at the back of my mind somewhere I was feeling it is not right I should myself do this little job, but still when that other domestic help stepped in, I felt relieved. She started washing dishes and I got busy with preparing breakfast and suddenly a sound of crack and a cry of pain. Oh God, a glass ware had broken and one its piece pierced her little finger. Blood was oozing all over the basin and I could see her finger bone through that deep slit. I rushed for cotton and antiseptic cream. But to this severe and deep cut a mere antiseptic could never stop. I shouted for Rahul and we both immediately took her to doctor. While rickshaw was pedalling to Doctor's, the poor girl, yes that maid was some 20-22 year old girl was sitting silently besides me. I was wondering how is she bearing that pain. I was constantly thinking it is all my fault. If I would have washed the dishes on my own and never called her. This would not have happened to her. I was feeling terrible and cursing my self badly.

When we reached Doctor's clinic and in not at all crowded clinic asked him to attend this girl, to my shock, he said "Please wait these people are habituated to all this stuff". I was like what is he saying, is he crazy or what. This girl is suffering from pain and he is casually totaling his bill. Till that time tears had started rolling down my eyes and that girl still stood calmly as if I m hurt not she. Well after few minutes he looked at the wound and told it will need stitches and asked us to go to the Emergency of nearby Seva Hospital and told the directions to Rickshaw wala. And cautioned me not to go with her as I am soft-hearted and may not be able to see the wound at all.

But no question of sending her alone there. Me and Rahul accompanied her to the hospital and there again had to face another even more "Sarkari" doctor, who was also busy in some calculation. But in that place I would still consider us lucky that we got attention of the nurse who directed us to Emergency Room.
And to the shock of my life that Emergency from outside seemed like some public toilet and from inside was a place where it is difficult to stand. There they 'treat' human beings. Dirty sheets rather rags, dirty dish and spotted walls. I had already started feeling dizzy. The so called ward boy or whatever he was came in a dirty T-Shirt and nickers and asked the girl to sit on a stool. Then came the senior ward boy some what cleanly dressed at least bothered to have an apron. Well seeing my expressions and still rolling tears asked me to stand outside. I could hear her cries from outside who was getting stitches without any local Anaesthesia. When could not bear went inside saw those ugly black untidy stitches on her finger. Which again made me heavily dizzy and not to create a scene by falling in the room I came out and sat on a bench. Till that time my tears had stopped and awakened my thought process that what is the use of a State of art Airport terminal in New Delhi when we do not have basic health amenities and that too here in  Salt lake not a sub-urban area or village but a posh area of Kolkata( Biggest Metro City of India ). What an apathy.........

Can we really call India a Developing nation or should we call a Deteriorating Nation?

Rahul bought the medicines and we brought that poor girl back to home. I asked her to sit  gave her some water and called the landlady. Then we all talked to her consoled her. Gave her some money. By this time she was again calm. She left for home with her hand fully bandaged. Was wondering can that little money heal her pain and how unknowingly I had given her so much pain and taken away her work rights for a month or so.

Went back to kitchen and saw all that blood spilt on basin and dishes. Rahul and I got down to the job of cleaning dishes. Probably if we had done this earlier, could have saved that girl from so much suffering.