When seconds make a difference

“There can be as much value in the blink of an eye as in months of rational analysis.” ― Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking 

Time taken to convey a piece of information to the right receiver can make the difference between life and death. Yesterday midnight as we were about to celebrate a friend's birthday, we saw a woman who looked like an escapee from a mental hospital – white robes, shaven head – walking alone on the road, right against the oncoming traffic, aimlessly looking down. We wondered what to do? My friends suggested we should call the cops. I had the phone number for Sadashivanagar police station. For a brief moment, I hesitated pondering whether it was okay to use my cell phone to make this call. I called up anyway pleading the police to look into the matter. Based on the location details, they told it came under the jurisdiction of Yeshwanthpur police station and gave us the relevant number. On dialing the new number, I was told I'd dialed Jayanagar police station and not Yeshwanthpur. 

Amidst all the confusion, the woman had vanished into the distance by the time we could lodge the information at the right place. The person who received the call at Yeshwanthpur police station earnestly took the details and assured that they'll look into the matter. At least ten minutes had lapsed between our taking notice of the lady and the information being conveyed to the police. We don't know what happened afterwards.

This made me realize the importance of always having the phone numbers of ALL nearby police stations, hospitals, fire stations etc. The time saved in not having to dig out the correct numbers could save a life or at least avert something bad. But there's another question that has been bothering me. Could I have done something myself? Could I have run up to her and talk her into coming to the safety of the footpath? Could I help her reach wherever she actually needed to? I don't know. I probably didn't have the guts. When it comes to crunch situations, it's about split second decisions. And you can never say, until later, whether those decisions were right. 

Knowing how to handle emergencies is a skill in itself, one that few people are trained in. There are cases where people, with all good intentions, have tried to pull out survivors from car wrecks and earthquake rubble only to cause irreparable damage to the already badly injured victims. And instances when in trying to save a drowning friend, the rescuer himself is drowned along with the victim - knowing how to swim and knowing how to rescue a drowning person are two different things. But then, there are bright examples where swift action by the locals helped save several lives in a train mishap. An emergency situation is of danger to the victim as well as the rescuer. So does it all come down to the individual and the particular case at hand? What are your thoughts and recommendations on handling such predicaments? In case of emergencies, how do you make that snap decision on whether YOU do whatever needs to be done or you just convey the information to someone who might be better trained to handle the situation?
 
In any case, the least you can and must do is to inform someone who you think might alleviate the situation. It's disturbing how so many people chose to ignore and maintain safe distance. If you stay in and around IISc Bangalore, keep these numbers handy. Save them on your cell phones and laptops and PCs. Write them on your diaries and notebooks. Pin them on the wall beside landlines. Even better, remember them.

Toll-free numbers for Bangalore City Police: 100, 103
Malleswaram Police Station: 080-22942519
Sadashivanagar Police Station: 080-22942589
Yeshwanthpur Police Station: 080-22942526
Ramaiah Hospital 080-23608888

Toll-free numbers for ambulance: 102, 108, 1062
Fire Service control room: 080-22971500
 

For a larger collection of important phone numbers (for Bangalore), see here.

Bangalore City Police has compiled a nice FAQ here.

Over to you!

I-day with a pinch of salt

As India celebrates her 65th Independence Day, I feel a mixture of emotions. There is happiness and pride over the several achievements spanning varied fields in the past decades. Yet there's that regret, a knot in the stomach, that tells me that there's something that has gone terribly wrong. 

Collectively speaking, we have become far more educated and skilled but on the way we seem to have lost character and simplicity. Note that I don't refer to corrupt politicians or inveterate criminals in third person. 'They' are also part of 'us'. They are the products of the same society and system that has produced us. They are an exaggerated reflection of the negative qualities that reside in us. There's especially one negative quality that spawns a plethora of problems. It's called greed often confused with its harmless cousin called need.

Today, greed is promoted in the name of progress. Blindly following the glorified western model of reckless consumerism has had a deeply pejorative effect on the country's resources. There's an ever increasing craving  for more - more money, more power, more food, more fuel, more land, more what not. 

There's a quote on the subject of road expansion that beautifully captures the essence of many of the problems that plague the society today. It says "Widening of roads to counter the traffic problem is like loosening the belt to counter obesity". It's the growing belly that's the problem and not the belt around it! Everyone's consuming more than what is required. I just don't understand the logic of associating a higher level of consumption with development. Where's simplicity gone? 

You might oppose this line of thinking by saying 'what about the poor and down-trodden?'. Yes, they need to be given access to more resources to improve their quality of life. But that extra demand can be easily met if the privileged ones were to use their resources judiciously. It's possible to meet the needs of the underprivileged without a significant increase in the total consumption of resources.

But are we willing to lead a simpler life, to be more careful with our consumption patterns, to 'reduce, reuse and recycle' and to go a step further and show compassion? Only if there are enough answers in the affirmative can we say that we may achieve freedom from the  many children of greed - crime, corruption, pollution and others.

Of need and greed

 The world of contrasts. [Photo credits: Joshi Daniel, currentbusiness]

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed" 

-Mahatma Gandhi

Poverty alleviation is about meeting man's needs. Economic growth is about meeting man's greed. And the first is definitely more important than the second. While needs are few, greed can be unending, which tells us that the first should also be easier to achieve than the second. Yet, humanity seems to be crawling towards the first goal while it's hurtling towards the second.