‘Help the Handicapped’
By
J.L. Gupta
In the civilised world,
everyone helps the handicapped. In India, the help is handicapped. How and why?
Firstly, there is virtually no facility at most of the public places. Like the
Railway Stations and the Bus stands. And wherever it is available, like the
golf carts at the airports, these are only for the big wigs. The wheel chairs
for the common man are hardly available. May I share something that I have seen
abroad?
The ‘Wilderness Express’ is a
long double-decker train in Alaska, USA. With a glass roof. It allows a perfect
view in all directions. The lower deck serves as the dining car for twenty six
passengers at a time. The upper seats seventy passengers in style. It also has
a well equipped Bar. The untiring young lady at the counter is an example of
efficiency and energy. She continuously takes orders from each of the seventy
passengers. Serves everything from coffee to cumbersome cocktails. Gives bills
and collects money. At the end, she cleans everything and puts it in place for
use next morning. All with a rare ease and a smile on the face.
The day long journey from
Fairbanks to Anchorage in the state of Alaska starts at 8 in the morning. It
ends at 8 in the evening. You pass by snow clad mountains, lakes, rivers, thick
forests, valleys and towns. You see airports and runways along the train track.
Aircrafts that land on snow. There are tall trees. Clear waters. Bears. The
sight, all along, is breathtaking. The journey is a memorable experience.
In the midst of this beauty,
one thing that struck me the most was the care for the old and handicapped.
Everywhere. In every way. There is help at every station. A wheel chair in
every bogey. It just rolls into the special space provided for it. The lift in the
bogey takes it to the desired level. The help in the train takes the person to
the allotted seat. Happily and willingly. Without any fuss or noise. It is the
same at the other public places like the Airports etc.. There are ramps
and lifts. Proper provisions to ensure that the handicapped do not face any
difficulty anywhere. They can avail of every facility and are at par with
everybody else. The handicapped are not handicapped in any way. The facilities
are built into the entire system.
Should we not
emulate the good example? Surely, we must. Hope, we shall!
This is so true uncle. In most societies in the West that I have seen, there is so much care of the needs of the disabled and all efforts are made to enable them to enjoy as fulfilling a life as possible. In India we have far to go. earlier, disabled people were confined to homes. Now they are beginning to venture out but the infrastructure is woefully inadequate. I think as a civilization, we may be great but this is one area we badly need to evolve.
ReplyDeleteI remember two quotes-
"...the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life; the sick, the needy and the handicapped. "
~ Last Speech of Hubert H. Humphrey(VP of US)
"A nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members."
~ Mahatma Gandhi
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ReplyDeleteGreat observation Uncle, having been raised in USA myself, the distinct difference I see is between the American and Indian value of a human, especially those that are sick, disabled, and old. It could be due to the overpopulation and inadequate resources in India that has resulted in the poor handling of the disabled, but also the general outlook in a community is survival, not service. Once that perception changes and is supported by infrastructure, then only can we think the emulate such an example.
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