India is a country that has it all- great density of road network and also absence of roads. It’s also a country that has plenty of mind-boggling good looking cars as well as those who walk their entire lives having never sat in a normal car, forget a luxury vehicle. The same way, India is also a country that has both- interconnected roads and countless road accidents. A simple statistic from 2019 suggests that there were as many as 4,37, 396 road accidents in the country, of which nearly north of 1,51,000 lost their lives. But implicit in the facet of an accident is the condition of the road as also the manner in which one drives, both of which become a head-on challenge the moment you encounter the hills of India.
Not the easiest of places on which to drive, the hills, while they’re always welcoming are also stifled with the dangers like over speeding and not to forget, steep uphill climbs. A wrong turn here can, at once, pose a mortal risk at one’s life. That being said, one got to note a real-life example of this, just hours ago, as of July 25, 2021 in Uttarakhand-bound Pauri, Garhwal’s Sampla Village.
A day ago, young Pramod Bamrara, who happens to run a not-for-profit in one of India’s most picturesque parts was suddenly shaken up up by a phone call, receiving which he’d be shocked and stirred in equal measure. A normal person, once employed by an American multinational in Gurgaon, Pramod Bamrara long left the ‘trappings of the urban life’ to pursue the charm of the road less traveled, moving his base up in the foothills of the Himalayas to set up his NGO that works with kids and youngsters in diverse areas.
Though, little did he know that the phone call would actually take him to the road less traveled, actually speaking, for he was informed about a havoc-creating accident that involved three individuals, one among them a small kid.
In an age where one thinks twice about even buying a stranger a cup of tea from the nearby tea-stall, let alone offer help to save a life, the first thing Pramod Bamrara did without wasting any time whatsoever was to seek immediate help from two of his close associates- Kailash Bhatt and Abhishek, also based in the same village as he.
He’d firstly call 108, the helpline number to report for such accidents and then immediately thereafter, seek help of an ambulance, both of which rushed to the accident spot rather hurriedly, much to Pramod and his friends’ pleasant surprise. Together, all of them, along with a few villagers who had already gathered around the accident scene rushed to the exact spot where there lay a dilapidated white-colour four-wheeler at Sampla village, Uttarakhand.
A steep ditch, where it’s still not clear how and what led to the accident, unless one’s very much mistaken in presuming that a sudden loss of car control upon hitting a sharp turn might have led to the accident, this isn’t the most Instagrammable spot in the world, nor the easiest to reach.
But then little can come in the way of a place where the almighty wishes his beloved creations to reach in order to offer timely help.
In an exclusive conversation with RapidLeaks, Pramod Bamrara, shared, “All of this happened all of a sudden. The moment I got a call from the nearby village, next to mine (Sampla), I sought out help. Luckily, I along with Kailash and Abhishek was out for a walk, so we were already up and about. But sadly, we couldn’t note down the accident-marred’s names. What am told is that the trio were from Nepal, and their names were noted down by the police.
Fortunately, while I am not habitual of climbing down harsh ditches and steep treks, I’d reckon we were lucky to receive time-bound help from the police and the ambulance and it’s due to their combined efforts that the injured have been moved to a prominent hospital in Dehradun.”
When I asked him about if he considers himself a hero for having acted without whiling any time, the ever-simple Pramod Bamrara, reluctant to consider himself as one, named his friends, both of whom are actively involved in social causes across Pauri, Garhwal.
Though, all of that said, it takes a hero to consider another as one and where it comes to the trio of Pramod, Kailash, and Abhishek- it is youngsters like them that the country must take note of and get inspired from.
For it is easy to be scared in the wake of a terrible accident just as it’s easy to duck responsibility in such a situation, but something special and selfless to offer help to absolute strangers.
At RapidLeaks, we’d also like to thank the Uttarakhand Police for rescuing all three along with the medical help that was made available. Current updates suggest that while one person has been saved, the other two are still critically injured. May they get well soon!