A typical Day : Part 4

For a fleeting instance, I had pity on the poor chap, for being there the whole day in scorching summer sun. But then I realized that his ‘Return of investment’ in the job is GOOD, the one that he derives, by devouring innocent souls like mine, and by emptying our pockets.

A quick calculation started running through my mind instantaneously.
Assuming Every traffic light of a duration of 2 minutes, starting from 9am to 9 pm in night, on a 4-crossroad,we have 4 lanes to go to. As a result, we have 4 points of collection(where traffic cops can be deployed…One each).
Every2 minutes, assuming that at least on one of those 4 lanes, a poor soul gets devoured, and that the time taken is enough to Miss the next 4 minutes on that lane. So we have one ‘catch’ on a lane every 6 minutes(One red light’s 2 minutes inclusive). Assuming a 50/- note from more fortunate ones and a 100/- from more unfortunate ones, we can safely assume, that a 4-laned traffic light cops, between them, earn on an average of 75/- per 6 minutes, between them. That makes 750/- per hour between 4 people. Or rather say approx 190/- per hour. Over a 10 hour job at minimum, a traffic cop shall earn around 1900/-. Assuming that he gives half of this to the government, he still saves 950/- per day. Assuming he derives a measly 5000/- PM from government, and derives 950*25=23k approx, He gets a total of 28K PER MONTH?????

And this figure is assuming that we have 1 catch per 6 minutes, at one of the 4 lanes! So this figure is set to increase a lot more, variably!

That is more than most of ours monthly salary!! :-O
That wicked Cop!!!!!!! Who would suspect that measly creature of such grave felony!!

Anyways, my attention now was focused on being out of this net, and to not be the part of that food-chain, where helpless creatures were forced to sacrifice their daily wages, to the annoying creature called the traffic cop!


“Officer, U don’t understand, I am a ….”
“A minister?? An IAS Officer?? Son of an MLA?? I don’t care. Get these things out and tell me why don’t you have a helmet”

“I had to rush out of the home, on an emergency call. Didn’t have the time to pick my helmet”
“What do you do? Work in fire department?”

The faint smile at his face, as a result of that bad joke, couldn’t evoke a similar reaction on my face. Moreover, I didn’t have a water tank with me. How can he even THINK like that? I did not even wear my red cap today.

“Well, not a fire, but a medical emergency!”
“So you are a compounder!!”

Again that faint smile coupled with a conspicuous shade of mockery, written all over the face, with bold letters. Damn!! Do I look like a COMPOUNDER??
What the hell!

“No…..a doctor”

It was HIS turn to be surprised now!

“You are a WHAT?”
“Doctor!”
My face was expressionless!

“Hmm…May I see you ID card?”
“I told you that it was an emergency. A patient of mine, had a heart-attack. I am rushing to see him. If I don’t rush at his place, maybe he will die. And the sole blame of all that would be on YOUR shoulders.

U see that red cross mark over there on my Bike? I didn’t put it to tell you that I am a doctor. It is there to be known, that doctors must not be stopped. I didn’t break any rule. I didn’t even break the light. It was yellow, when I crossed it! Even YOU know that. The more time we spend here discussing, the lower is the guy going to sink, and the lower are his chances of living. I will make it easy for you Officer.

You have two choices.

ONE! Take me to My home. Get my original license and Medical card. You verify, if it is true. You then check my PUC, and then ay it’s okay, and then you ask me 50/- for breaking the traffic light, and meanwhile the patient dies, coz of the want of a doctor, who was held by a traffic cop. Would you be able to sleep in peace, ever again?

Second!
You let me go right now, and save a life, and any burden on your conscience.
Choice is purely yours.

I said all this with a straight face.
He didn’t bat an eyelid before making his decision!
I was on the way to my office. The ordeal took 3.5 minutes.

If you really thought that I hid something from you, by not telling you that I was a doctor, you are right! Coz even I didn’t know 5 minutes back, that I was! That sign of Red Cross, on my bike, was put there by a kid of my neighbor(Who happened to be a doctor). Mine and my neighbor’s bike were of the same model, and stood adjacently. He mistakenly had put the red sticker on MY bike, and I didn’t scratch it off, thinking it will be of use someday! And boy o boy….Was it of use!!

I cheered on, thinking of treating my neighbor’s son, for his great deed!
But greater battles laid ahead. My boss being one of them!

And the road was long!