In an age when manufactured news sells more than real stories, a heart-wrenching incident in Karnataka brought out the insensitivity of our population in general, and the media and political class in particular.
This is the story of Harish Nanjappa who would have remained unknown but for his touching display of humanity in the face of death. On February 16, as he lay dying after a road accident that split his body in two, his life and dreams cut short at a young age of 23, the man from Tumakuru told the driver of the ambulance that arrived to pick him up that he wanted to donate his eyes. His last words, as quoted by the driver, were, “Brother, I am going to die in a few minutes… please donate my eyes.”
Soon he was gone, but his act of humaneness stood in stark contrast to the insensitivity that the crowd that gathered around him showed. As he lay bleeding on the road, his body severed in half by a truck that crushed his bike, the crowd was busy capturing the gruesome sight on their phones, intent on a few Facebook likes.
No one cared to go near him, and his cries for help and water were ignored. The incident showed how one man’s tragedy is another’s entertainment, with social media and 24x7 news doing their bit.
His story made national headlines, but the meaning of his gesture was lost in the din over the JNU row and other overhyped stories that offered better scope for rancorous studio debates. And there was more insensitivity on display. The videos shot by the onlookers came in handy for some news channels – they showed the tragic footage again and again, their poor efforts at masking the gore leaving nothing to the imagination. No thought was spared for Harish’s mourning family and friends – imagine the trauma of a mother if she were to see images of her son lying on road pleading for help, his body parts lying apart. One channel went even further – it showed the footage with labels saying ‘upper part’ and ‘lower part’.
As the media chipped away at Harish’s dignity, there entered politicians. Zameer Ahmed, a JD(S) MLA, visited Harish’s house, merely a hut, very next day with the electronic media in tow. Videos showing him thrusting wads of currency notes, `5 lakh to be precise, in the face of Harish’s grieving mother made a sickening sight.
The mother was seen turning her face away from the cash, but the politician had his way and his moment of fame, never mind the price.
In hindsight, though Ahmed’s act was an attempt to gather publicity and mileage from a human tragedy, he at least extended financial assistance to a poor family that lost its young breadwinner. The rest of the political class in Karnataka remained largely untouched by the tragic story, busy as they were with the battle for panchayat bodies. Harish’s gesture, which showed his clear thinking even after suffering such horrific injury and an intention to help others, has a message. Organ donation in India has not got the push it needs. Awareness is low and misconceptions are plenty. His story has the potential to stir the conscience of society and inspire people to pledge their organs, making him an ideal poster boy for organ donation awareness. It’s up to authorities now to ensure his deed of selflessness does not go waste.
Another aspect that came out from the episode is the universal reluctance to help accident victims – a reality that has not changed despite the Centre bringing in guidelines to provide legal protection to those who volunteer to take accident victims to hospitals.
Lack of awareness and reluctance on the part of police and hospitals to follow the guidelines apart, lack of sympathy for fellow human beings is a major reason. Most don’t help accident victims as they think it’s someone else’s job.
But long before such guidelines were in place, a man had made helping accident victims his mission. Hasanabba, who runs an eatery by the treacherous Charmadi ghat road that connects coastal Karnataka with the rest of the State, has helped more than 1,000 accident victims reach hospitals over the last 30 years.
The 56-year-old cares nothing about the hassles involved. The stories of Harish and Hasanabba stand testimony to the presence of islands of compassion in a largely inconsiderate population.