A common man's life saved today could be the life of the man who changed India to a developed India.
I truly love my country and am sure all the Indians around the world love India from the bottom of their hearts. India was the best once upon a time and will always remain the best because India has always been governed by the best leaders and will continue to be governed by the best. I read articles written by Dr. A. P. J Abdul Kalam and have been truly inspired by his true love for India through his thoughtful articles. Sir, I salute you. In one of his wonderful article he has mentioned about his three visions for India. What a great mind.
India is among top 5 nations of the world in terms of GDP, we have high growth rate in most areas, our poverty levels are falling and our achievements are being globally recognized today. Yet we say that India is a developing country. For how many more years do you think we need to keep saying that? I say India is a developed country because I want to see it that way. If we don’t see India as a developed country, no one else will. So what is it that makes India different from the other developed countries? I feel that other developed countries care a lot for their citizens and human life, much more than the other developing countries. This is the answer I have found out during my travel in India.
I was passing a toll naka and it so happened that in the lane next to me there was an ambulance with the siren on, desperate to pass the toll naka. The well wishers inside the ambulance were desperately praying for the traffic to clear ahead of them as there was a lot of traffic. However they could only hope as there was a common man in the ambulance and not a VIP or a minister. The toll guards just continued to collect the toll casually from the cars ahead as if the couple of hundred rupees that they collected for the government from the cars ahead of the ambulance were more than the value to the person who was fighting for his life in the ambulance. At this moment I felt that I was truly not in a developed country and wished that this ambulance was in a developed country where there is different lane for an emergency vehicle. It may not be possible to have a different lane in India with the scarcity of space but at least the toll guards should have taken the effort to divert the vehicles ahead of the ambulance to another lane or let the few vehicles pass by without paying the toll with a free special emergency pass.
I urge the Indian Government to bring in some changes in rules and regulations with regards to this issue because God forbid someone from your family could be in this situation and you would be just praying and wishing that you had made some changes for the betterment of human life while you were in power. A common man's life saved today could be the life of the man who changed India to a developed India.
I write this article because I care and wish that this article is read by our honorable Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh because I know he cares.
Jai Hind!
Shardul P
