My Stranger Godfather

There are various instances in life when God reaffirms our faith in him, there are times when we are helpless and surrender to his mercy. And this is exactly when he sends in his “messenger(s)” for our rescue. The point of reference here is this gentleman who “almost” saved my life long back when my dear father was sprinting helplessly on the streets of an “unknown” city, Bangalore carrying a profusely bleeding six year old daughter in his arms.
Dad had meticulously planned our ten days family trip to Bangalore, Mysore and Ooty. It was our third day in the “City of Gardens” and we were on an exploring spree. Following an interesting, yet tiring visit to some of the popular places in the capital, we landed in a park to relax and unwind. As I curiously noticed some cheerful kids enjoying the joyride of merry-go-round, I whimpered and hence bargained my parents to join them. Being a stubborn and notorious little kid, I managed to convince them to bow to my demands. And there I was, happily swinging and waving to them, along with my ten year old sister and numerous other kids. I felt like a bird..flying high in the air… on the top of the world! Suddenly, “Dhoom and bang”, I was thrown off and bounced from the joy ride, and landed on the ground. Before my parents could realize, I was hit on my skull, with none other than the “merry-go-round” itself.
The world came down to a halt for my parents as I lay there, unconscious, bleeding copiously! Dad screamed to the teeming crowd to lend us a hand, while mom was in tears and my sister in a state of shock! With the help of a few generous people, I was carried out from the fatal park and made it to the street. Amongst the many unknown faces, a gentleman approached and mentioned that he was a doctor and offered to take me to the nearest hospital. His instantaneous gesture was resisted by his wife who was accompanying him, fearing the consequence leading to a “Police case”. He resisted to her concern, and said “I can not restrain from my duty…my profession and humanity obliges me to help this little girl”.
In the next moment, we found our selves in an auto rickshaw, and sped towards the nearest nursing home. The stranger instructed the auto driver in local language (Kannada). As we reached the destination, I was rushed into the emergency ward. He met the doctor in charge and explained to him that he had examined me on the way, and knew the depth of the wound and hence insisted immediate action. The profuse blood loss and the cranium where I was hit, were adding to the criticality of the situation. The doctor and staff followed suit after recognizing him as one of the renowned doctors. After a few stitches and general dressing, I was taken to NIMHANS (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences), as insisted by the doctor for an intense and thorough check up, anticipating a bigger danger in store.
So, I was taken to NIMHANS, for a rigorous check up. The scene in the ward is still vivid in my memory, where numerous patients were lined up for check up. Many anxious moments passed by and then came my turn. The appointed doctor inquired my name and asked for a general introduction. After the check up, he informed my parents that I will be fine with few precautions and medication. He also added that had the treatment been little delayed, the consequence could have been worse. The horrifying moments were over and I was soon discharged. It must have been one of the worst days in my parents’ lives. But it could have been even worse, if we were not helped by the munificent “stranger”.
I never had a chance to thank the stranger for the second life he bestowed up on me. What if he wasn’t there to lend us a hand? What if he had succumbed to appeal of his wife? What if he had calculated the consequences before taking me to the hospital?
Thank You my stranger godfather for teaching me the first lesson of humanity!
Needless to mention, such is God’s grace and miracle, that I am alive and sane (In case the mention of NIMHANS made to think otherwise!  ).