Driver vs Doctor

I started writing this post back in Oct 2009, completing it today.

It was Oct 2009 when I was in my 2nd last semester at IITB. The day before I got my ankle twisted while coming down the stairs in Hiranandani. I thought my ankle was fine and just applied a regular off the shelf muscle relaxant. Next day, I woke up at 4am with intense pain in my ankle. I tried sleeping a few times, but the effort was futile. Walking even a step was very difficult, so the only option was to call the ambulance. IIT Hospital provides a free ambulance service which you can call to your hostel. I was secretly happy that I would be able to add more thing in the list of things I finally did in my last year!

So I hopped on one leg and got to the hostel lobby and the ambulance arrived in a few mins. The driver comes out and greets me. He was a tall and slightly obese guy probably in his early 50s. He helped me get in the ambulance and we started. I apologized to him that he had to wake up at this hour to help me. He said it was alright. We talked more and he told me the other driver with whom he rotates, has gone to his village. So he had been working for the last 72 hours. But he didn't look tired. On the contrary, he was radiating energy and positivity. There was something unique about him that made me feel happy. I asked him if he felt bad that he couldn't go home to sleep. He replied, "What can I do. This is a very important job. The other day I had to bring this boy who damaged his knee while playing football. Someone has to do it." Finally, we reached the hospital. He helped me get down and told me "Dhyan rakhna beta (take care son)". I smiled and said thank you.

I went in to visit the doctor. He was a short, bald guy with white hairs. He was sleeping with his head down on his desk. The nurse woke him up. He looked irritated. I greeted him with a hi and he didn't reply. He looked up and raised his eyebrows (gesture for asking why I was there). I told him what had happened, he took a look at my foot and jotted something on a piece of paper and told me which medicine I was supposed to take how many times. He then dropped his head back on the table to sleep.

I could not believe what I came across in the last 30 mins. Here were two people in similar situations and the one who was paid much lesser is the one who is happier. So much happy that I felt better just by talking to him. What was it that made the driver happy but the doctor sad? Was it the realization of the importance of his job and the feeling of serving others? I don't know.

I made a wish to be the driver and not the doctor once I started working. If you aren't happy, you have nothing, and if you are happy, you need nothing.