Caught at the red light

[Published in The TERI Times, February 2002]

One day a few years ago, while returning home I was waiting at a red light. A lady approached me and pleaded that her daughter was about to give birth to a child and they did not have money to take her to hospital. Please, could I give them some money? Or better still, could I take her to hospital in my car? I looked at her daughter who was half-sitting and half-lying on the road divider. She had a huge belly and looked really under labour-pain.  The lady continued, ‘Please, take her to a hospital, or she will give birth to her child on the road side.’ I felt pity on the hapless ladies and gave them fifty rupees and asked her to take her daughter to a hospital immediately. She thanked me profusely and rushed to the lady. I heaved a sigh of relief. I really did a marvelous deed, indeed!

When I reached home Jayasree, my wife, ridiculed me telling that the women made me a fool. She was quite convinced that the women were bogus. I argued with her and insisted that both looked genuine. And I believed they were, until …

A couple of days later I had to travel the same way and I caught the same red light. I remembered my benevolent act only a couple of days ago and the very same spot. ‘Could she have reached the hospital safely in time to deliver the baby? Was the money I gave her enough to reach Safdarjung hospital, which was the nearest? Was she …’

‘Sir, please, look at my elder sister there. She is about to give birth to a child. And we don’t have money to take her to a hospital. Please, sir, take her to a hospital, or she will give birth here in the middle of the road.’ The pleading of the young lady woke me up from my thoughts. I looked at her. Have I seen her somewhere? She continued to implore. I looked at her elder sister who was writhing in pain on the road divider. Hey! That was the lady I gave fifty rupees to take her daughter to … Wait, wait. This lady who was praying today was her daughter a couple of days back! And she was writhing in pain that day. They have just exchanged their roles (and the belly)!

I knew I had to do something, but I didn’t know what. The light would turn green soon. I asked her, ‘Can your sister walk up to this car? I shall take her to a hospital.’ She hesitated, then said, ‘No, sir, she may not be able to walk this long (this was about 20 feet). You give us some money, we will take an auto and go.’ I said, ‘No, that is not advisable, and who knows you will get an auto now?’ Telling this, I got down from the car and told her, ‘Come on, help your sister to the car.’ The ‘sister’ looked at us as we approached. The recognition was instantaneous! She suddenly got up and started running in the opposite direction! Her belly was shaking wildly. What a sight it was! The lady with a huge belly (she would have been carrying triplets!) running like mad across the road as if to escape from a charging animal!

I was suddenly aware of the honking of vehicles since the light had turned green. I suddenly rushed to my car. While driving my thought was, ‘Should I tell this to Jayasree?’ I could see her mischievous smile in my mind!