Eight years ago, the death of a person on the streets opened the eyes of a Noida-based doctor to several other ways of saving lives.
Stuck in a traffic jam on October 29, 2011, he witnessed the paralysed state of his city where a life was lost only because the ambulance couldn’t cut through the overwhelming traffic jam.
“I was on my way to the clinic and as usual encountered a traffic jam. I noticed that an ambulance was stuck there before me and it took hours for it ambulance to get out of the traffic. While stuck there, I was wondering about the health of the patient. Unfortunately, on the next day, a newspaper report stated that the same patient had died in the ambulance due to the traffic. It was that very day that I thought that what if someone would have been there to control the traffic, the patient’s life would’ve been saved,” said Dr Krishna Yadav to the Indian Express.
An Ayurvedic doctor, Dr Yadav was already saving lives, but following this incident, he hit the jam-packed streets to make a more significant difference.
Since then, Dr Yadav has been leading a dual life—a doctor during the day and a traffic man in the evening!
Wearing a doctor’s coat, equipped with a loudspeaker, whistle, mask and pamphlets of traffic rules, he heads to the busiest intersections in Noida, all to bring some semblance in the chaos of the city.
But, like most changemakers, his journey in all these years has not been very smooth.
“Initially my family wasn’t supportive, mostly because they were worried that something might happen to me while on the streets. But, with time they realised what I was doing, and since then, have stood by me no matter what,” he said.
He further added that in contrast to the respect he earns as a doctor, he is often exposed to abuse and angry reactions on the streets.
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“There have been times when people have abused me, used bad words, but honestly I don’t care, because, at the end of the day, my intention to help is clear,” he added.
As a result of his incessant efforts to make Noida’s streets safer, he has received several awards and accolades from the Police department. However, he does not think of them as achievements.
“If I were able to even change [the] perspective of 2% of the people with my words, I will be happy as then I would know that I am bringing at least some change in the society,” concluded Dr Yadav.
His willpower and journey of perseverance to change public perspective is a glowing example of the fact that heroes indeed live among and within us. They only need to be awakened!
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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