THE MAN WITH A HEART OF GOLD

How a simple man’s selflessness turned a painful tragedy into a lifetime of contentment

- Himanshu B. Dave

Rahul, at age 11, was obsessed with cricket. He observed the game in fascination, whenever his friends, in the working-class neighbourhood of Gujarat’s Nadiad, played. On one such day, he had moved too close to the stumps. Jignesh*, the batsman, barely a year older than Rahul, swung his bat hard, gathering up all his might. The next moment, a dull thud echoed through the grounds—Rahul had collapsed in a heap. The boy was hit severely on the head by accident and was bleeding profusely. The children in the field, dazed and confused, rushed him to the local hospital, where the doctor on duty suggested he be shifted to the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, some 50 kilometres away. Unfortunately, the emergency journey could not be possible—Rahul died within an hour of the incident due to trauma and excessive bleeding.

The news came as a crushing blow for Rahul’s uncle Dinesh Talapada (32), who has been my driver for the past decade. Dinesh, unfortunately, was not in town at the time of the incident—who knows if Rahul could have been saved if his beloved uncle was able to get him the emergency treatment he needed? Dinesh rushed home that very evening, but it was too late. He was disconsolate, when he found Rahul was gone, forever. Dinesh was very attached to the boy ever since he brought Rahul home to raise him, after the boy’s father, Arjun, passed away. “As if losing my cousin wasn’t enough! It’s Rahul, now,” Dinesh sobbed in grief.