STRANGERS COME TOGETHER

 STRANGERS COME TOGETHER

 

Amid the blazing rain, hail and snowstorm, rare for this part of the country and with visibility reducing to almost zero, a series of headlights and taillights extended endlessly over a bleak expanse on (NH24) highway. Caught in the fray for hours, cars were buried under mounting snow, the situation threatening to go out of hand with each passing moment as the temperature plummeted.

 

Baffled by this strange weather, the stranded passengers huddled in their vehicles, not knowing what to do. In one Suzuki S-Presso car, a young mother was desperately trying to breastfeed her young girl child; her foggy breath laboured under the exertion. She tried to distract herself by fidgeting with her phone, but her face turned to dismay as she realised that her cell battery had run out. Nearby, in a Hyundai Creta, an older man struggled with his inhaler to beat his chronic asthma, which was getting worse. He was running short of the metaproterenol medication used for controlling his asthma. His breath was coming out in gasps now. Another young man in a Renault Kwid car had exhausted his supply of insulin injections for managing his diabetes. He was turning pale and almost on the verge of fainting.

 

Suddenly, through the screeching wind, a figure emerged, wrapped in a Naga shawl. A woman sitting inside a Renault Triber car seemed to hand him a pretty large scarf in the design of the American flag. The man tied it around his head and partially covered his face. It was Prem, a truck driver who frequented NH24 and was stranded like everybody else. He knocked on the car windows, signalling the occupants to come together. In a short period, he had galvanised the people to come out and huddle around him, seeking directions.

 

“We need to work and stick together if we are to survive this”, Prem shouted over the raging storm. “We need to help the elderly, the sick, women and children. Let’s share whatever supplies and expertise we have”.

 

The people rallied around Prem, huddling together for warmth. A government hospital nurse en route to her hometown for her short vacation took charge of the medical needs. She moved from car to car, checking on the most vulnerable and offering assistance.

 

“I have some extra bedsheets and blankets,” a middle-aged woman offered, pulling them from the back of her 2024 Kia Caren car. "Take them, whoever needs them the most.”

 

Prem and a few others distributed the sheets and the blankets among older people and the children. They found a woman in labour in a Toyota Innova Crysta, her contractions coming fast and fierce. The nurse sprang into action, her medical training coming to the fore despite the challenging conditions.

 

Meanwhile, a group of young men stepped out of their Bullet bikes and shovelled the snow with whatever they could find to clear the path and make way for any emergency vehicle to reach them. Their hands almost frozen in the chilling cold, their faces covered in frostbite, and their bodies sweaty, they didn’t stop, driven by the desperate urge to save lives.

 

As the gruelling hours dragged on, the strangers on (NH24) formed a strong bond. They shared rations, snacks, drinks, and water and swapped stories, taking comfort and strength in each other. Despite the bleak conditions, a tiny flicker of hope began to form.

 

Finally, through the blazing snow, the distant sound of sirens cut through the night air. Rescue teams were arriving, the light from their vehicles shining through the darkness. The makeshift community of (NH24) exulted in cheers, sighs, and tears of joy and relief.

 

In the face of the forces of nature and its fury, strangers had come together, aiding each other. Their collective spirit helped them overcome a potential catastrophe, signalling that the world had not lost its humanity.