Accidental Philanthropy

When I gathered consciousness, I found that I was lying in the bed of a city hospital and Ram prasad was in the next bed. I did not know this man one hour ago and right now I had great anxiety to know what is his condition.

It happened one hour ago, when I was buying mats on a busy street in Mumbai. The vendor was carrying a load of colorful mats on his shoulder. The plane yellow ones were made of dried grass whereas the colorful ones were made of some plastic fiber. I wanted to purchase the mats made of dried grass as it was environment friendly and giving a natural touch and smell of dried grass. As customary with street vendors I started negotiating the price. He was fair and thin man with average height. He was talking politely and smiling all the time showing his yellowish teeth that were blackened at the edges due to chewing of tobacco. It seemed to me that he was enjoying negotiation as he was sure I am likely to buy from him at the end. Probably he has intuition of knowing who is serious buyer. Something in the air told me that he has worked hard to come up to this stage in life that is being able to sell his products on the streets of Mumbai.

He agreed for the price I demanded, provided I take a pair of them. I nodded and took out my wallet to pay him. He returned me the change and I felt like extending conversation with him for a couple of minutes. He told his name is Ram prasad and started telling about from where he came from and how the mats are stitched etc.

At the same moment a metal bar came down suddenly and struck both of us. It was the reinforcement steel being used in the building under construction nearby. No one else on the busy street was hurt. The last thought in my mind before I fainted was that it was my urge for extending the conversation that has put both of us in problem.

I could see that there is only one wound on the back of my head and luckily it is not very big one. There was a bandage on the wound and practically I was fit and fine. My wife and children were around my bed and they were asking many questions to the doctor and he was assuring that I am all OK. Car was waiting for me. I also understood that Ram prasad has got serious head injuries and needed a treatment but the doctor wanted him to go out of his clinic and take treatment in the Government hospital. Ram prasad was still unconscious and so we could not understand what the doctor was saying. He has no relatives around. He did not have mobile phone. No one in his family or village will be ware about this accident. His bundle of mats was missing. What will happen to him ? I informed the doctor that I shall pay the bill for all his treatment till the time he walks on his own feet.

My family members were looking at me as is if I have got some fist of madness due to striking of the steel rod.