I wish to share a heart-warming incident my wife and I recently experienced. On May 25, we were returning to the city after dropping our son at the Kochi international airport.
The IMD had warned of a stormy night. By 9pm, we were indeed witness to it — furious splashes of rain cascading down the windshield. In spite of the wipers’ valiant effort, visibility on that busy stretch of the highway was reduced to mere yards.
Though, as a youth, I had once harboured a Wordsworthian wish to stand and stare at nature’s fury, that night I had but one singular wish: to support my co-passenger’s understandable wariness of the treacherous thoroughfare.
Suddenly, a flash, a thunder. But my experienced hands on the wheel realised — it was not thunder alone. Pulling over at a dark alley confirmed my fear: a flat tyre.
As I broke the news to my better half, it brought back memories of a night years ago when, stranded in a similar alley (albeit without a storm), I had changed a flat tyre of our two-wheeler with both our children on board. But time weakens not only the body but the resolve too. The will to even lift the spare tyre seemed to have ebbed.
Confronted with those old anxieties, what unfolded next felt like a vision I had long held for our country. A Tagorean dream of a young India.
Without being overly dramatic, let me describe the event that followed. This occurred just a few yards from the Pullinchode signal junction in Aluva.
Though we had a brand new spare tyre and an unused toolkit in the boot, age and uncertainty rendered us ineffective.
After crossing to the nearby junction, we attempted calling the 24-hour helpline displayed on a closed tyre repair shop. No response. Even numbers provided by a tea-sipping driver nearby proved futile — likely due to the weather and the fact it was a Sunday night.
We were desperate, desolate and helpless.
Meanwhile, four youngsters sat inside an eatery nearby, enjoying refreshments and the warmth of camaraderie. Our car was not visible from the shop, so they were unaware of our plight. However, one among them, on noticing our anxious glances, enquired whether we were okay. I told them about our situation.
Without hesitation, he prompted his three friends. Donning raincoats, they accompanied us to the car and asked me to open the boot. As I did, they sprang into action.
With their own mobile flashlights, and not a hint of doubt, they worked in unison. The wheel was changed with such coordinated efficiency. Every bolt was tightened, every tool placed back neatly — no fuss. No request for any reward or recognition — only smiles, and a shared sweet offered by my wife.
Having led several critical projects in my own line of duty, I can attest that the future of our nation is indeed safe in the hands of such youths. It’s not just about their skill or efficiency, but the socio-cultural values ingrained in them. And, most importantly, empathy has not drained away.
Kudos to these young Good Samaritans — Akshay, Adarsh, Joshua, and Naiz. And good wishes to the young India they represent.
Years from now, they may forget this night. They should. Good deeds deserve no pedestal — only repetition. But if there’s ever such a thing as an unseen reward, I am certain their kindness will return to them, quietly and powerfully, in ways they cannot yet imagine.
The writer is a former GM of Coal India Ltd