Recently, while coming back from college, I saw a couple of kids gathered around a cow beside the road and trying to do something very intently. I suddenly got curious, so I stopped there, parked my bike and stood there to find out what exactly was going on. I saw those kids continuously trying to make the cow drink water. One of them arranged a water bottle, and pumping water from a handpump, they tried to make the cow drink water. But why? I asked those kids what happened with the cow; they replied saying, “This cow fell inside a garbage yard at 8 pm last night. Her stomach has been swelling since then and she is unable to move even.” The animal had been crying out in pain, with the realisation that it might not survive the agony much longer.
It was 3.30 in the afternoon. I decide to take a stand. I Googled the number of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation to find the number of their office which works extensively towards animal welfare. It was surprising that my call went unanswered after many tries. There was an animal care shelter nearby, and that too was closed. I found another government official who was more curious to find out how and where the incident happened. She said that she could help us only when the animal dies and they can send workers to collect the body. I was determined to save the cow’s life, but sadly the officer wouldn’t even help with phone numbers of NGOs, animal shelters, veterinarians etc.
While going back to the injured cow, we saw a milk dairy. It is quite common that people who have dairies also have their own cows for milking which means they might help us. And we were right. After we shared the situation with the dairy owner there, he took his bike and came along to check the cow. He called for someone from an animal shelter, and the treatment was started immediately.
The cow got injected with saline, antibiotics. These two men were so interested in saving the animal’s life; they were not satisfied with the actions they had taken so far; hence they applied a bottle of energy liquid called speed up. I remained there helping them with their activities. After the medical treatment, we made the cow sit properly according to the advice of the resource person. We could see the cow already feeling a little better, and that made us smile in relief.
This incidence was filled with learning, joy and satisfaction. It was amazing to see 8-12-year-old kids taking so much effort to care for an animal. The people I actually thought would help, didn’t even try. But this experience taught me that even if I don’t have specialised knowledge, basic care can always be provided in such a situation. And that just when you think of giving up, unexpected people do come in to help. On the flip side, the cow struggled in a pit for over 18 hours and hundreds of people might have crossed it, but no one bothered to help.
When it comes to our careers, we think about education, money and a stable life. But what about moral values? How many of us really think about giving back to the society? Are we so consumed in the rat-race of life that we have no time for anything else? It is no wonder then that little children had to step in to look after a helpless animal.
Most of us think that once we have a stable career we’ll start thinking about giving back to the society. But that never happens. Sometimes just a 5-minute call can also be of help and save a life. In management, there is a concept of situation handling and decision making, which relates to this incident and proves our management skills in real-life scenarios.
We need to give a serious thought on how to best lead our lives selflessly. What are our ultimate goals and how do we aim to achieve them? And most importantly, are they even worth it? These questions need some serious thinking!