H for Hope !

July was coming to an end in India, not the rains.And Mumbai was hit badly, as it doe every year, year after year.All channels in the country were breaking the news, "Mumbai floods. Knee deep water disrupts normal life. Schools and colleges close for the week. However It firms continue to operate. The metro bus services and trains will be delayed. Both the Maharastra government and the Central government have assured fast relief actions". People watching the news wondered how the Rajdeep Sardesais, the Pranay Roys and the Barkha Dutts get to the studio without being hit by rain, for it looked like a cyclone outside. It was absolute chaos. Traffic Jams, Overflowing Drainages, diseases, stinking roads, ugly climate, slow reacting governments. Anyone on Earth would have doubted, hell being moved onto the surface of Earth from the underworld had they seen Mumbai.

Ganesh Trivedi stepped out of his house, with his one and half human leg and a half plastic one. Had he been a bit more careful 10 years ago, he would have been able to do two things now. He would have been on all televisions and newspapers around the World and would be walking in two legs. His enthusiasm in histing the tricolour over Kargil, cost him his leg. He was the commander of the 43rd Kashmiri regiment and he was on his way to hoist the flag, a symbol for victory when the landmine went off. Everything below his left knee went missing along with the opportunity to carve his name into Indian history. It took the military two days to find him and hoist the flag. He was watching the whole episode on military hospital television imagining himself to be doing the honours. A 20 year career in the army came to an end unceremoniously with a broken leg and a 200 rupees monthly pension. At 52 now, the widower was depending on his pension for survival. He was a couple of months old in this Mumbai.

Mud, water, wet clay, spilling gutters, stinking streets, flies and mosquitoes, invisible pathogens, harmful diseases, uncontrolled traffic, closed shops. The rain God was too busy giving Mumbai more than it needed while all other parts of India were being ignored. Ganesh walked into the chaos with one and a half leg, a broom and a stick. No one from the neighbourhood wanted to get their hands dirty. Ganesh volunteered himself.

He had two simple objectives. One to dig out the clogs in the drainage and to drain all water on the road into the drainage. Two, to clean the road off mud and dirt. he wanted to keep the environment clean, free from pathogens and from diseases. The government failed to act and he took the matter into his own hands, to get it dirty. He felt, any country needs its children healthy.

He reached the slum at 10 in the morning. And got to wok soon. His work gathered attention. Men either fleeing of their houses or trying to move their belongings to a safer place started staring at him. They started wondering what the man was doing to the drainage, when they were finding it hard to see where it was. Some even thought he must be insane and would disappear into the drainage.

After a few initial struggles, Ganesh got it right. He removed a couple of clogs and water started to drain. Within the next three hours, most of the water drained. Ganesh employed his broom to clean the road. he started spraying the white powder he had brought with him all over the place. Satisfied with his work, he left the place, carrying his belongings, and a big smile on his face. he had saved lives.

Within a week, the entire slum was clean. He was popular. Everyone in the slum recognized him and greeted him. he would greet them and get to work. Next week, he was into his second slum.

On 24th July, the rain got heavier. Ganesh decided to go out still. he went to the spot he left yesterday and started his digging. He was an hour into work, when the unexpected happened.His plastic leg betrayed him. It slipped taking Ganesh along with it. the rain delayed the help. And when it arrived, Ganesh was already a mile into the drainage.

The next week, 10 people were digging the drainage. The next month 100 were. All the news channels broad casted it prime time. One day a reporter caught up with a man, draining water into the drainage. He asked him why he was doing this. The man replied,"He was right. the country needs its kids healthy. It needs more than a pair of clean hands. It needs hope!"

The people of Mumbai spoke about Ganesh. But not many knew his face. But they hoped they would find his body at least. But, what they did not know was, the fall was deliberate. Ganesh got down in Patna. It was 10 to 2 in the A.M. the station master enquired him to check with the traveller's list. He was happy when he found Ram Prasad Yadav in his list.