Retrospection - 01: A Splash, A Pause

Dated : 10/07/2025 10.25 pm

It was just another regular day in college. A routine ride back home.But life, as always, had unexpected plans.

It was a regular day at college and a usual ride back home.But as always, life had other plans.

When it suddenly started raining, I stopped at a roadside tea stall. A hot cup of chai felt comforting.I waited, hoping the rain would stop—but it didn’t.So I put on my raincoat, looked at the traffic, and got ready to start my Scooty again.

And then—a thud. A splash.

Before I could register what was happening, I found myself lying on the road, surrounded by speeding vehicles, immobilized and in pain.People around rushed to help, lifting me away from the middle of the road. First aid was administered. A TT injection. Some basic medication. I sat in the waiting hall of primary health care centre, dazed, waiting for my family to arrive.

And then, he came.

The guy who had hit me.Wearing an Instamart T-shirt, visibly trembling."Sorry didi… galti ho gayi," he stammered, his hands still shaking. Probably more afraid of losing his job than facing me.

I looked at him. I couldn’t bring myself to yell or blame him.He wasn’t drunk. He wasn’t aggressive.He was just... desperate.

He was speeding on the wrong route, not out of arrogance, but because of a time limit.Whatever he was delivering—groceries, milk, bread—may have been essential for someone.But was it urgent enough to justify risking lives?

What could I say to someone who chooses to ride through risk daily—not for thrill, but survival?

In his eyes, I saw fear, guilt, and helplessness tangled together.He chose a shortcut that day. I was just trying to get home.

This isn’t the first time I’ve witnessed such incidents. Many minor accidents I’ve seen involve gig workers—those bound by timers and targets.In their race to meet deadlines, what if the cost is someone’s safety? Theirs, or someone else's?

I don’t have a solution. I’m not an expert.But I genuinely hope this issue finds voice in the right places. That someone, somewhere, listens—and acts.Because this isn’t just about faster deliveries. It’s about lives on the road, both behind the wheel and beside it.

Takeaways that echo louder now:

1. Wear your helmet. Always. Even if you're running late. Life doesn’t give warnings before crashing into you.

2. Everyone’s fighting silent battles. Sometimes the rule they break is the only way they know to survive that day. But maybe, just maybe, we can build a world where following rules doesn’t cost someone their bread—or their breath.