Too Busy To Care, TBTC: The 107 seconds

“Dial is big”, “Dull colour”, “Very cheap“, ” That blue colour one in the second row.”, “No, No not that dark blue..”, “I like this dad, i’ll take it”. The shopkeeper showed a sigh of relief as I kept him running from showcase to showcase to select my first fast track watch ever. Dad paid the 2000 bucks in his credit card as usual and I immediately stuck the watch to my wrist. We had gone all along to T.Nagar from Chromepet in a two wheeler to buy it. On our way back home, i plugged the headset into my ears and listened to the FM as my eyes continued admiring my brand new Fast Track watch. There was a long road signal and we had to wait there for 107 seconds. I came back to the world of people from the world of numbers from 1 to 12, clock hands and the clock ticks. Since I had bought a new watch and was so obsessed with it, I tracked the signal time with my watch time. I still remember the details of that day with approximate seconds as i was counting on it.

         


          107 seconds. I looked around to see if there were anyone I knew, if not to smile at, at least to show them my new watch. There were too many waiting at the signal. Few checked their cell phones and returned text messages to friends in the time they got, people inside cars cracked jokes and laughed at each other in mute as the windows were closed. There were girls who removed the mask they covered their face with and looked into the rear view mirror to adjust make up. Everyone were busy in their own world and so was I, in my own world.

             
          87 seconds. I looked at the pavement and there was a competing crowd there too. All of them busy in their own world, carrying all that they had purchased, discussing about how costly things have become, few busy complaining that the shops had less collections than the platform shops. Few regretted for buying clothes before seeing the one in front of them that moment. I could make out all these even from a distance and even when their conversations were not audible.

          59 seconds. I accidentally saw a female sitting in the pavement, scratching her head. Lot of people who passed by did not even notice her, few of them looked at her in disgust while they walked. There were a few guys who ogled at her from a distance. The reason for this was the way she was dressed. She was almost topless. She had covered her bosom with a single towel that had flown away and failed to solve its purpose. She wore a skirt that Indian female wear inside their saree and even that was 3/4^th only. A lot of people who stood there in the signal looked at her just like I did. Few pitied her, few looked at her in disgust and a few ogled at her bosom. There was a small kid who said “Mom, look there. That aunty.” And the mom asked the kid to look away.

          43 Seconds. I had my dupatta, I really wanted to go and cover her with it but I was in the middle of the road and 43 seconds was just too little a time to go help her. I can’t ask my dad to park the vehicle as he was getting late to his office. He had come all the way to buy me a watch. I was too busy to care. She was right in front of a small textile shop.  I could have very well got down, went there to get her a nighty or something to cover herself. I did not do that.

          Green Signal. We started from there and this incident disturbed me a lot. What am i doing for the society? The topless female’s image flickered in my mind too often on my way back home

“Can I give this dress to maid’s daughter?” mom used to ask. Mostly my reply used to be “No mom. That’s my favourite dress.”

“But it doesn’t fit you anymore”, mom used to argue. “But that’s my favourite and I can’t give it to anyone”

I’m such a girl. What have I ever done for fellow humans? Am I being selfish? I was too busy to care all through my life but now this incident disturbed me more than it should have, unusually.

What I did:

That is when I decided that I was too busy, all of us are. We are not the kind of people who go to villages to teach people “ABCD” or the kind who go to orphanage and sponsor a meal to kids. But one day I will die and this rat race will stop. What is the minimum that I can do? Yes, I thought after I die, I probably can’t be busy anymore. Why can’t I donate my organs? Ya, I love my organs more than my favourite dress but the love need not stay with me till the burial ground or crematorium. But I was too busy to find out the place where I’ll have to go and register.

Proud Organ Donor from June 2011

I had this thought for almost 2 years and recently I found a site to donate my organs (Kidney, Eyes, Liver, Heart, Lungs and Pancreas) online. Within a week’s time I got my donor card posted to my address. Now I am a proud organ donor.

How can you do it:

      1.       Click this link http://shatayu.org.in/

      2.       Login and donate your organ
      3.       You’ll get your card in a week’s time.

How can the 'Too busy to care syndrome' be reduced? 
Inspiration lasts till that which inspires last,
Motivation lasts till that which motivates last,
Sympathy lasts till the thing we sympathize stay in our vision,
but awareness lasts till the life lasts.

You don't have to create awareness about the need of the society, everyone knows about it already.
Create awareness about the easiest way one can help the needy in spite of the busy schedule, from the arm chair.  

In case this blogpost was informative and you have decided to donate your organs too, please leave a comment below. Than being a donor it will make me feel prouder to have a friend/reader like you.