Floods In The City

It was pouring heavily outside for the last four days. News channels were flashing news about floods in the city. Her son who had gone out for work three days ago had not yet returned. The whole area in which Radha bai lived was completely water logged. She didn’t have much to do, and thought of cleaning the room in which she lived.

She started dusting all the shelves one by one. Suddenly, she could not breathe. How could she forget that she was allergic to dust! She tried harder and harder but could not breathe. She realized this was an attack of asthama. She searched all over the room for the pump of medicine that the doctor had prescribed for such instances. But she could not find it anywhere.

She went out of the room and knocked frantically on the neighbour’s door. No one answered. She went knocking frantically on the doors of all the neighbours on the same floor. Finally, one of them opened the door. The door was opened by Sheetal, a young girl who knew Radha bai since she was a kid. She knew that Radha bai was prone to attacks of asthama. She tried to call the doctor. But due to the floods, the telephone lines were not working and the mobile networks too, were way too busy.

Radha bai scribbled a mobile number an a piece of paper and handed it to Sheetal. Sheetal looked confused as if to ask whose number it was. “My son’s emergency number” Radha bai scribbled on the piece of paper.

Radha bai’s son was a police inspector. He had been away from home for the past three days. He had been assigned the duty of leading a team of constables to help the people stuck in the floods. He was on emergency duty and this was his emergency number.

Sheetal called up Radha bai’s son. He said that he could not leave his duty and come in such dire circumstances. The whole area was waterlogged, with the water levels reaching car windows such that they could not be opened. There ware cases of people who were suffocating and dying in the cars. The emergency police force was trying to vacate the cars and move the people to safer locations.

Luckily, Radha bai’s son had the emergency number of a doctor who he thought could reach his mother in this situation. He called up the doctor and told him about his mother’s asthama attack. He gave the doctor the address and the room number of the room of the chawl in which he lived. The doctor was fifteen minutes walking distance from Radha bai’s home. He recognised the emergency and rushed to help. On the way he stopped at the chemist’s shop to buy medicines for the emergency.

The doctor reached Radha bai’s home in time for the emergency treatment. Due to the doctor’s treatment, Radha bai could finally breathe again.

The following Republic day, Radha bai’s son was awarded a medal for saving lives of hundreds of people stuck in the floods. After thanking his team of constables, Radha bai’s son narrated the story of how his mother had an asthamatic attack while he was on duty. He thanked the doctor who had treated his mother during the emergency. Then he thanked Sheetal, the neighbour who helped his mother, who was now his wife.