The Indifferent "Me"

It happened yesterday evening(arnd 6:50 P.M on 28th July'08). I was about to leave with my flatmate for gym. He was talking over phone and i was waiting close to our bike when i heard a lady shouting,"Arre roko koi. mera purse le ke bhag raha hai. Arre roko"

I was there on the pavement. This incident happened right in front of my eyes about 30 metres away. The son-of-a-bi*** purse-snatcher was coming towards me on his bike. I had all the time on this earth. I could have hit him down, could have noted his bike number..but i did nothing. Instead a minute later, when my flatmate put his phone down after hearing the hullabullo and asked me what had happened, i smiled at him and said "kuchh nahin yaar. koi banda aunti ka bag cheen kar bhag gaya".

My friend said,"Anurag, saaleya koi to reaction de. Tu to aise behave kar raha hai jaise kuchh hua hi nahin."

It was at that moment that i realised my indifferent attitude to surroundings. That lady,in late 40's was frantically crying, asking for help from everyone. Ladies had gathered around her to console her and there i was, a young and gym-attending healthy but in-different person,smiling and talking to my friend as if it was routine.

I dont know but i might have panicked, brain and body might have stopped co-ordinating for those few seconds. So i can tell myself that it's ok if i couldn't do anything. It could have happened to anyone. But what was really disturbing was my smiling and casual attitude after that. And i didn't even realise it on my own. My friend's comment made me realise it later.

This post isn't to showcase that my sense of guilt is killing me or that i feel really sorry for that lady. Its just another day at office for me with coffee cup and SAS. Its just to reflect on how i have been moulded in my attitude like so many others who only care for themselves. It's said that its in these kind of moments that a person's true character is revealed. These moments are a true reflection of one's self. Sadly i didn't get a very good feeling about myself.

I often hear the off-repeated saying,"every single person can make a difference and if it happens, this world will be a lot better place to live". Here i had a chance to do something, but sadly i didn't.

I often look at our politicians (some of them, not all) and hate them for their indifference to their constituency or people in general. I must have spoken this a million times,"In logon ko koi farak nahin padta." I wonder whether mujhe koi farak padta hai. If tomorrow i become a politician or for that matter a business leader, will i care for my people? Will i be willing to put society's welfare or organization's goals before my own?

Just hoping that i will be...........