When my father's friend became the president of a prestigious social club of my small hometown, he set himself the target of getting an ambulance for the town. It took quite a bit of an effort to make the people who were ready to spare tens of thousands of rupees for parties but only a few hundred rupees for a real cause to contribute the necessary amount of money. My father also contributed generously (and only I and his friend were aware of this fact). Finally ambulance came in - it was a Maruti Omni vehicle. There was much fanfare at the time of it's commissioning.
A couple of days later I was walking past the place where the ambulance was parked when not in use. My nature I am inquisitive and also have a flare for first aid. I just decided to stop and look into the ambulance. I greeted the driver and started inquiring about the available material in the ambulance. I asked him how he helped the patients and the accident victims when he went to pick them. Please keep in mind that in a small town a driver is supposed to plan all he necessary roles ambulance staff is supposed to play.
His reply came as a shock to me. He has no understanding of first aid. What came as a greater shock was that a brand new ambulance did not have anything stored in the first aid box. I was furious. What a sheer misuse of public money I thought. I was angry because while a lot of hype was created around the vehicle itself, no attention was paid to most critical minor details which were severely limiting the ambulance.
I walked up to our shop in utter rage and told my father what I had seen. I was angry and I wanted to do something about this gross mismanagement. I felt like exposing the truth behind the vivid picture that the social club had painted in front of the society. My father smiled back and told me something. What he told me put things in a new perspective. Rage was replaced by sense and helplessness was replaced by action.
A few hours later I walked to my uncle's shop and gave him a polythene bag. He gave me a puzzled look. I just said that I realized that the ambulance did not have first aid kit so I purchased the necessary equipment. He was looking at me in a strange way. There was a little smile on his face. Before he could say anything more I walked out. My heart was lighter. My day was brighter. The ambulance was better. And best of all, I did not even have to fight for a change!
Last evening I saw a Maruti Omni pass by. Lot of things from the past came across my mind. I realized how the small things from my childhood helped me grow as a person.