Are you good enough?

H. Kishie Singh

We will discuss the act later. First, what is a good Samaritan? The word is derived from a parable that Christ used to give an example of to his followers. A parable is a story used to illustrate a moral truth, which also is the need of the hour in our society.

The story goes that a man was travelling from Jericho to Jerusalem, a road notorious for bandits and robbers and known as the ‘way of blood’. A man had been beaten, robbed and left to die. People passed him by and no one helped. Just like Nirbhaya. She was pushed out of a bus and no help came.

In the case of the man from Jericho, a Samaritan came upon an injured man, near death, took pity on him. He poured oil on his wounds, cleaned and bandaged him. Then he put him on his donkey and took him to an inn. He told the inn keeper to look after the man and paid him. “When I return I will pay for any extra expenses”, said the Samaritan. The parable of the good Samaritan was born. Any traveller on the road must help another fellow traveller in distress.

This idea was first mooted in 1995 (Auto Sense 11th February 1995). As is the standard operating procedure, it was put on the backburner. The burner should have been lit. It wasn’t. India is the land of Krishna, Buddha, Guru Nanak and Gandhi. They all preached compassion, which is conspicuous by its absence in our lives today.

This compassion must come from within us; it cannot be legislated or made a rule under the Motor Vehicles Act.

Remember Nirbhaya? People on the road showed no compassion.

There was a wonderful and heart-warming story from New Zealand. A young Sikh boy saw a six-year-old hit by a car. The boy lay bleeding. Singh, a baptised Sikh, removed his turban and used it to help stem the bleeding. He became an instant celebrity.

What rules was he following? Who taught him these manners?

A local TV station came to interview Singh. He said, “I was simply doing what anyone would have done in this situation!”

This compassion and sense of duty, his concern and love for a fellow human being was his prime concern without consideration for any adjunct.

If there is to be an example of a good Samaritan, this young lad is.

The Supreme Court has issued guide lines for the Good Samaritan Act.

No person who has helped an accident victim can be forced to disclose her identity to the police. The good Samaritan cannot be detained by the police, forced to appear in court and may not be summoned by the police. Doctors refusing to help accident victims will face action.

Hospitals may not charge the victim.

The good Samaritan is also legible for a reward. France and Germany hold bystanders accountable for not assisting. Will that work in India? Doubtful!

In India an accident is a tamasha. Hundreds will collect at the drop of a turban.

Will the mob help? I am sure some people will offer help. We have corruption, we have incompetence but we also have goodness somewhere in our hearts.

Happy motoring!