Picture this.
Two weeks ago, I am driving on my little bikey near Mulund, and I reach a cross-junction (the fortis junction) where all traffic is paused.
I wait for 60 seconds. Its 11 in the morning and sweltering within the helmet. I then switch off the engine and then remove the helmet (and balaclava) and do the Saif Ali hair swagger :-) (you know the rapid swagger which gets rid of sweat drops)...
I look around. Its matrix like, and all traffic from all roads into the junction is dead. There are cops all over. They are shooing away even pedestrians...so essentially all stop dead.
And the fking mumbaiker in me goes "Is this Delhi?", "which politico is it now?".
Then Zen awareness kicks in...and I say...nevermind. Breathe. I begin looking around and enjoying the pause. Another 3 odd minutes pass.
Then the driver from the neighboring rickshaw (which is a goods rickshaw) gets down...walks around and then comes back.
My roving eyes see him get into the driver's seat. Another minute, and then my eyes meet his. He too is looking my direction and he is smiling. I am polite. I smile back and shake my head almost saying " life is what it is"....and he finds my attention on him and speaks....and this is what he says in Hindi....
"Sir, Heart hain...." (Sir, its a heart!!).
I look him strangely. I honestly don't get the context. He can see I am perplexed. He says again..."Sir, heart hain, heart hain....", and he is smiling as he is talking.
And believe me, I am so thoroughly confused. So I politely tell him, "bhaisaheb, nahin samjha" (Dear brother, I did not get you at all!!).
And he smiles even broader and he says with excitement, "Sir, Heart....Heart....Dil...Dil....Dil ko transport kar rahein hain hospital mein." (Sir, they are getting a heart into the hospital).
I finally get it - this blockade is to get a heart into fortis for a transplant - some kind of human emergency - and I beam into a giant smile too, and tell him spontaneously "Phir tho yeh banta hain....:-)" (Then bloody all this is all so worth it :-)).
And in that moment, my stress (if any) is all gone. I look up to the Sun (and thank him as a proxy to the universe).
This is what life was always supposed to be. The world stops for a beating heart. The world should stop for another's life. The buzz should pause and let it all soak in.
Mumbai (or Bombay) take a bow. Dear Cops, take a bow. Fortis, take a bow. And the person who died for the heart to be available, you are the Buddha. The Buddha who paused all traffic and life for a few minutes at a busy city.
In that moment, I knew I had witnessed the seas parting. A miracle had occurred in my presence. I am blessed.
Posts
