One always tends to think that any individual will only live life in its entirety only when he or she strikes it big and in this maddening pace for success, everything is forgotten and there is no time for loved ones and life itself, but just a maddening pace that one seems to mistake for life.

Looking at the rail accident that happened in East Champaran (Bihar) India, one rues to ponder on the fact that whether Indians don’t have a regard for their own life, especially people who in this case the auto rickshaw driver played with the lives of so many people by showing undue haste and ramming into the speeding train that resulted in the loss of more than a dozen human lives and ruined and scarred others for life. Why do Indians play with their lives and of others in haste, especially in this case, where I suppose there was no medical or other emergency and why the rickshaw driver had to gain an upper hand on the train? I fail to understand such type of mentality and why do ordinary people like you and I have to pay for the mistakes that others have made? It is in this context that what is the value of life in the eyes of ordinary mortals and why Indians are particularly have to be so arrogant in this regard? Is the case that we have so many people in the form of demographic dividend that we have scant regard for the lives of others? I fail to understand such a type of mentality where human life is reduced to just numbers and there is no introspection by the authorities (read railways) in this particular case to prevent such type of accidents? However, it is also to be considered that we Indians take safety procedures lightly and didn’t this leads us in record deaths on Indian roads where by following just a few traffic rules and being patient can save lives, yours and mine included.

Whatever be the case in this particular incident, it is sad and an irreparable loss in the form of deaths of so many people (of one entire family) as per the report as depicted in the leading English daily of India. Looking at such instances it is imperative that we as Indians know what is the value of life, which in fact is something on which we can assign no value, since is beyond any value and hence can be called in Hindi as anmol. Why then people don’t value their lives and those of their community, their state, the people of this nation and of the whole world in general? How many lives will be lost till we wake up to realize the true value of human life and then God forbid that it happens that we realize this when it becomes too late. India has been the guiding light of the world since ancient times and it is the true nature of every Indian citizen, gallant and God fearing to inculcate the value of human life in themselves and in their family and friends. I hope that this positivity spreads and people realize the true value of life, be it of their kith and kin or be it of their community or of someone distant as in West Africa. Each human life is priceless and it is the common duty of each and every individual not to under estimate the value of their fellow men and inculcate such kind of behavior in themselves and in their family and friends so as that everyone respects human life in its true essence. Stay safe and have a nice time ahead.

Image courtsey: thebcec.org.uk