https://thevarsity.ca/2015/01/11/when-is-it-necessary-to-for-us-to-check-our-privilege/

Granted

Mrigank Chugh
Sep 6, 2018 · 5 min read

The JEE process had just ended. Even though my exam didn’t go according to my expectations (that is a story for another day), I knew that I would end up in one of the best Engineering college in our country.

In no time, the result came and the celebrations were started. People started calling. Friends, relatives and even those pesky neighbors gave me their congratulations. In other words, I was at cloud nine.

I had 2 months between the result declaration and college starting. These couple of months were surely the best of my life. I literally ticked everything on my bucket list that was practically possible. I went to the movies, hung out with friends almost everyday. Visited all Malls in vicinity and did all the fun activities like Go Carting, paintball, mystery rooms and what not! That was a time when I had stopped caring about the world. I was either engrossed in watching some TV series or going to flashy places so that I can get good pictures for my Instagram account. I was living in my own bubble.

This attitude was carried forward to college too. First came the induction week, 7 days full of enjoyment. It was filled with Full-Nighters and DJ Nights. I was filled with great zeal and zest to meet new people and start the ‘College Life’. Then began the ‘Hostel Life’ which gave a newfound independence and freedom. I did everything from binge watching TV series to wandering late night in campus. This was actually my dream in class 11th and 12th and I was finally living it.

After two weeks, it was announced that there will be some interviews for the ‘Mr Fresher’ title. The whole batch was abuzz and everyone was excited for these interviews. I wanted the full ‘college experience’ so I decided to fill out the forms. After a week or so, the results were out and I was one of the students shortlisted for the interview.

Now I can’t describe the entire interview here but long story short, it was a bust!! The interview has ended at around eight ‘o’ clock in the evening and I was supposed to go to home after that using the metro. During the entire ride of one hour, I kept thinking about how I could have said some better things or performed something else to impress the seniors. I got out of the train, my mind filled with questions like “What kind of impression I might have made on seniors?!”

When I was about to swipe my metro card to leave the station, someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around and saw a man, with a tense look on his face. He was having trouble with the exit barriers and I helped him out. As I had helped many people countless times at the automatic barriers, this time was no different and I was about to move forward without giving any heed. But this person stopped me again, and took out a piece of paper from his pocket and asked me about the place mentioned in the paper which I now realized was a folded A4 Sized Sheet.

The sheet was completely written in Hindi, a language which I had stopped reading after 8th Standard. Nevertheless I attempted to read it and immediately my eyes went on a phone number written on the paper. I was quite suspicious at that time and a question like ‘ Why doesn’t this person simply call rather than asking for my help’ came into my mind. It was nine in the night and I was quite eager to go to my home, so I simply asked him to call the number. He replied by saying that he doesn’t have money to afford a cellphone. I finally read the paper which described in detail the instructions of going to the nearest medical diagnostic center from the Metro station.

I usually took a rickshaw from the station to my house for a distance of one kilometer but since that diagnostic center was on my way to home, I decided to walk with the person and take him directly to the place. I started to engage in a conversation with him on the way. What he told me about himself was something I thought about for a long time and perhaps is the reason why I am writing this blog in the first place.

By the looks of his physical appearance, I guessed his age was around 22 or 23 years old. He then further explained the situation he was in. He was originally from Punjab but was in Delhi (along with his wife and kid) to work as a laborer. He recently became a father to a boy. His son was around 8 months of age. But recently his child became quite ill and the doctor in his vicinity couldn’t diagnose the problem. The next step was to do a blood test which wasn’t available in his locality.

During the conversation itself, he showed me the blood sample of his child he was carrying in the breast pocket in which he also carried that instruction note. He further how he tried to stand directly in front of the AC vent in metro so that the blood remains at a adequate temperature and the ink doesn’t smear on the note itself.

By this time, we reached at a T-Point where we had to part ways. I told him the way forward and started the travel towards my own home.

This got me thinking, here I was worrying about something as trivial as a party. Even though I was thankful before about being privileged enough to get an education and a healthy lifestyle, but it was a different experience to see the magnitude of difference right in front of my eyes.

While walking back, I thought about the amount of things I took for granted. Education, healthcare, transportation, literacy and the fact there are still people in my life that can take are kind and caring enough to take my responsibility. I know that even if I face some problem at present, there will be people with me, to help me in some way or another and I won’t be alone facing those issues. But that clearly wasn’t the case with man, facing all the problems alone in an unknown city, uncertain about his future.

I reached home, tried to relax but my thoughts wandered back to the man and the well being of his child.

That was a night when I truly appreciated the dinner.

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