It is difficult to change the past. Some deeply painful past we can’t change. Like, I can’t or we can’t change the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear radiation tragedy of Japan. True, we can’t change the past tragedies of people. But we can alter present to form a future perfect.
Car accidents are too common a topic to discuss. Many have been injured by car accidents, many have died due to reckless car driving. But drivers are good fellows who never seem to learn from their past mistakes. The last victim of car accidents whom I have seen or heard of was my own mother!
On 23rd March, 2011 when she was going to drop the telephone bill at Salt Lake’s Lalkuthi that unwanted incident happened. A white car while taking a turn with full speed in the ‘Foot Bridge’ place (near AE and AD block meeting point), lost its control. The car collided with a cycle rickshaw. The cycle rickshaw lost its balance and it fell straight on my mother’s body. My mother’s left hand got immensely injured. Some section of her hand got blackened immediately. Warm, fresh blood came out from three regions of her hand showing degree of injury. And the criminal’s car escaped unnoticed! Police in Salt Lake stands near Tank No. 4 when nothing bad happens. When that day their service was much required, they are nowhere near Foot Bridge or tank number 4 in Salt Lake, Kolkata.
Some rickshaw puller told my mother that they can lend their kind service by giving her a free lift to our home. At least those illiterate rickshaw pullers were more humanic than the educated, civilized, organized police force of Salt Lake!
If you penetrate inside this matter, it will reveal many naked facts of Indian society. First of all, I believe that everybody in India should NOT own a car. Only people with civic sense should drive a car. And for speed demons, I would like to say whole Kolkata’s streets are not purchased by you guys. Streets of Kolkata are not your racing tracks! Kindly spare innocent citizens from becoming your victims.
Indian government and our transport ministers have taken a wrong step to bring down the price of cars. Many people without proper driving skills and knowledge drive on Indian roads. This is the reason why the traffic accidents in cities are increasing in an alarming rate. Also, few corruptive officers allow many devilish drivers their much awaited driving licenses in exchange of small amount of bribes. These speed demons then show off their evil speeds on city streets.
Through my blog, I request Indian government officials and ministers to do the following:
1) Hike the prices of cars such that not everybody can purchase it (when people buy a car at a higher price they will naturally drive it in a risk-free way, with a moderate speed)
2) Implement tough punishment system like sending the miscreant drivers to jail as well as monetary compensation in favour of the victim’s family
3) Implement 24 x 7 police posting in important sections of every city and policemen should have the authority any challenge any car owner whose driving speed is unnecessarily high.
4) Driving courses must be monitored by the government such that only good, matured guys get car or two wheeler driving licenses.
Finally, let me say a few more words about my mother. Every old fashioned mother is an expert in hiding her tears, physical / mental agonies in front of her son or daughter. My mother is no exception to that. If I asked her (on 26th March, 2011) how she was feeling about the accident, she said, “Oh, it was just a minor accident! Although, I have not used any medicine ( except white colored Boroline )… (I am) giving some hot water pack on the wounded spots and you see, I can move my hand just like before.” I have taken some images of her wounded hand (on 26th March, 2011) just to show you and the rest of the world about what was a ‘minor accident’ according to her. Please take a look at the following pictures (I think all the spineless, coward, journalists who repeatedly ignore to publish news of such accidents on newspapers, might be ashamed of themselves by seeing these pictures.):
