The date – December 26, 2012. The time – 10 AM. The situation at my home – chaotic
“Mom, hurry
up, we’re gonna get late! I told Renny we’d be there an hour early atleast! The
engagement is at 10 and it’s already 8 15!”
“I’m coming,
I’m coming, anyway it’ll take just half hour to get there na, why are you
hurrying so much? What will you do there going so soon….”
“Neil, why
did you have to tell mom it’s only half hour away! You haven’t even been there,
you don’t know the route, and what if we need to search for the place? I
already told you it’s not on the main road, we need to search for it!”
I'm sure those of you who’ve ever had to wait for someone to get ready to
go out, must be sympathizing with me right now. Those who know me personally,
know that I like being punctual. And with my complete lack of navigational
skills, if I’m going to a place I’ve never been before, I take extra precaution
to ensure I’m on time.
“Mom, we
don’t know the place, come soon, or we’ll be late!”
I was
fuming, not because I would be late for the engagement, but more because I knew
the engagement wouldn’t start without me. Now, before you start getting ideas,
let me make it clear that I had agreed to be the MC for the engagement, at my
friend’s request.
My brother Neil,
mom and I got into our super fast white Ferrari of a car (or so my mom seemed to think). As we set off for my friend’s house
in our Maruti 800, where the engagement was to be held, my friend called to ask
where I was. In absolutely no mood to encounter Bridezilla, I had no other
option.
“Haan Renny,
I’m on the way. We’ll be there in half an hour max.”
Driving at a
speed befitting a Ferrari, my brother zipped along the highway. As I watched
the trees and other greenery whizz past, I tried not to feel the nerves in my
stomach and concentrated on remembering my script.
“Turn right
in 100 meters onto Surathkal road” There are times when technology has been a
life saver, and with a GPS enabled smart phone at my disposal, combined with my
brother’s race car driving speeds, we cleared most of the distance in record
time. “Looks like we might be able to make it there on time”. Soon enough we
were nearing my friend’s place, and I began to hope we’d be there in time.
We turned
right, and followed a series of complicated twists and turns along the winding
roads. We reached the pre-decided landmark.
“Call Renny
and ask her where to go from here”, my brother says as he slowly drives to the
side of the road and stops the car.
“I’ll go to
that store over there and ask him how to get to her place. You and mom wait in
the car.”
I watched
him go to the store and figure out where we need to go next, while I confirmed
directions with my friend. My brother came back and sat in the car “Let’s go!”, he says as he starts the car.
(engine
stalling)
“Uh oh!”
(engine
stalling sound)
“Oh God!
Please no, why is this happening now! Damn! How could I have forgotten?!”
“What
happened?”
“Dad had
told me that the car won’t start if the engine heats up completely and you
switch it off”
“Whaaatttt!!!!
Why did you switch it off then!!”
A withering look from my brother, and I'm silenced.
“Argh! What
do we do now?”
(engine
stalling sound)
“You and mom
take an auto and go to her place. I’ll wait for the engine to cool down and
then try to start the car…It may take some time”
“I’m in a
tight skirt, mom’s in a zari sari and we’re in the middle of a god forsaken
village. And you want us to take an auto?!”
“I didn’t
plan for this to happen ok! As if I knew the car would not start”
Now it’s
only in times like these we remember God fervently… As my bother closed his eyes
and muttered a silent prayer, there was a tap on the window.
A man in his
mid 40s was standing outside.
“Car start
zaina gi?”
“Na uncle,
start zai na. Engine heat zala complete”
“Ok, ek kaam
kar. Second gear-ak gal, ani start kar”
And then he
tried to push the car forward, while instructing my brother to accelerate while
on the second gear.
And Voila!
It worked! As we accelerated away, we yelled out our thanks to that stranger
who stepped out of his way to help us in our time of need.
Have you ever
been in a situation where a complete stranger has come in like a true friend,
helped you in that moment of peril, and then stepped out of your life, never to
be heard of again? That, my dear friends, is what the magic of life is all
about. People walk into our lives as friends for a reason, and stay as long as
we need that friend. Some friends stay in lives for years together, some for
few months, others few days, and some, like this Good Samaritan, for a few
minutes. I had heard of the saying, “A friend is one who walks in when others
walk out“, and my experience on that fated day made me realize that “To have a
friend and be a friend Is what makes life worthwhile.”
As a Boy
Scout or a guide, you are asked to pledge to do one good deed each day. As we
step out of our house each day, let’s make a promise to ourselves, that we will
help someone in need; that we will be a friend to them, for as long as they
need us. You never know when your small action might make a big difference in
someone’s life.
"I
can not do all the good that the world needs, but the world needs all the good
I can do."
