The Death of A Poor Wife.
The country which aims to conquer moon has failed even in providing peaceful last rite to a dead woman. A tribal man of Odisha ‘Dani Majhi’ compromised the dignity of his dead wife by carrying her corpse on his shoulder after hospital administration denied ambulance for the purpose. He was noticed by a villager who informed local media which helped him getting an ambulance to his village which was 60km from the hospital only after covering the distance of around 10km on foot with his wife’s dead body on his shoulder and a weeping daughter walking by his side.
We city dwellers are not used to such news. We open newspapers either for Bollywood gossip or for political corruption or either to read about rape/murders to blame governments for everything. We don't care about social problems and believe that poverty is the word only in dictionary. Dani Manjhi‘s was so poor that he couldn't afford a private ambulance when hospital denied one to him. He found it easier to carry her burden on his shoulders than to beg the authorities for help. Acute poverty will never let India to reach the position it dreams. Unless the poor and deprived lot of the society feel safe, secure and happy any development work is incomplete and any success is a mere myth. You can measure the development in Kalihandi area where is Dani Manjhi’s village from the distance of nearest hospital to his village i.e. 60 km.
We often heard the real India reside in its villages if it is true then believe me that India is hungry, jobless, poor, don’t have proper schools, neither have access to health services and is extremely undernourished/ malnourished. Like many foreign nations India don’t have free medical services for all not even in government hospitals. Poor can’t afford costly medical treatment. They are forced to die by our system. There is a need to make hospitals affordable if not free for everyone. Dani Manjhi received government and hospital’s help only when the news reached the media. They even offered money to him. If this money would have reach in time his wife could have been saved.
Such images of helplessness really tear apart the heart and soul. I can only wish/pray that such things never happen anywhere in the country again. God Bless India.
