The year was 1991.
At 10 pm on a foggy night, Janakipuram-based Pramod Tiwari was travelling home from work when a speeding vehicle rammed into him and drove away.
When Pramod did not return home until late, his family had panicked and reached out to his childhood friend, Manoj Singh.
Paying no attention to the time, the young man ventured into the night in search of his childhood friend.
He was shocked by the sight of Pramod. His childhood friend bled to death by the road in front of his eyes.
Speaking to Hindi daily Navbharat Times, Manoj explained how his friend had been lying unattended for about two hours. The post-mortem report revealed that Pramod died due to excess blood loss.
“If someone had rushed him to the hospital, he would have a second chance at life.”
He had opened his eyes twice, but couldn’t say anything. His death shook Manoj to the core.
And while the young man could hardly do anything to save his childhood friend, he embarked on a mission that moved on to save the lives of numerous accident victims.
In the last 27 years, the man has saved over 60 accident victims by rushing them to the hospital in time and providing any required help.
He adds how some of these individuals have met and thanked him after their recovery. “I see Pramod’s face in every person I help. My biggest regret is I couldn’t save him. So I am trying to alleviate that emotional baggage and reduce the pain of losing him by saving others.”
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Manoj, a resident of Arjunganj, is a teacher who runs coaching classes in Lucknow’s Indiranagar. He doesn’t stop at being a messiah to people in need. Instead, he encourages his students to help others. The impact of his selfless efforts reflects in the fact that many of his students have joined him in his campaign.
At a time, when people crowd at an accident spot, take videos or sometimes just walk away to avoid getting into legal processes, unsung heroes like Manoj reinstate our faith in humanity. We hope that this teacher’s efforts are recognised and that his story inspires many more not to turn their backs but extend a helping hand to the victims of road accidents.
(Edited by Shruti Singhal)
Feature Image In-set credit: Navbharat Times.