SOS - Calling your own Krishnas for Help

*This post won runner-up prize in Smart Suraksha Contest on BlogAdda.

When panic strikes, we desperately look for help. How we wish we could have updated our phonebook with numbers of distant relatives in new city or could have charged the cell before leaving home. During those tough moments we want some magic to happen, someone to come to our rescue and I can say that from experience. In 2007 when I started my CS practice, I travelled a lot to Delhi from Ambala. It was usually a day trip. I used to board bus from Ambala Cantt station and park my Activa in the parking lot nearby.

In early December that year, I thought of coming back on a train from Delhi and missed the train I was targeting. I always boarded trains from Azadpur Station to avoid the rush of New Delhi Railway Station. Since I was in no mood to go back to Delhi Bus Station, I boarded the next passenger train. Not so aware that such trains are slow and stop at every station, the journey which normally takes 3 hours, took more than five. I called home to tell my family not to worry as I was safe and will reach around 11 PM. It was close to 10 when I reached Ambala Cantt and being winter the roads were deserted by that time and that day there was close to zero rush in the parking lot.

Normally I don't panic but since there was not much activity around, I felt a little scared. What followed next added to my worry. There were some rowdy boys who started following me and I paced towards the parking lot. I went to the counter to show my parking ticket and thought of asking help from the man sitting in the cabin but to my sheer bad luck, I felt he was drunk. I took out my phone, so I could call back home but since I was making and attending calls in Delhi the entire day, roaming charges wiped off my balance. I didn't have enough balance to call home. But sensing the circumstances around me, I pretended to call home looking continuously at the boys. They went away and I felt a little relieved but my heart kept pounding heavily.

When I put my bag in the Activa, I thought I would zip as fast as I could out of the parking lot but that didn't happen. My two wheeler didn't start. I tried everything from kicking it several times to dragging it but nothing happened. It was one of the very few moments in my life when I felt like crying. I felt helpless and I wanted someone to come and offer me some help. In fact I cursed myself for acting brave and traveling alone that late at night. Ambala is a comparatively safe city but the Wine and Beer shops around the station area makes it really unsafe at night. There were only two choices for me, either to ask help from the man in charge of parking lot who I thought was drunk or drag the Activa out of the deserted parking lot and go to the main road where there was little activity and a STD booth. 

Till date I don't know how I mustered the courage to drag my Activa to the nearest phone booth. I called home and told my parents to come pick me. That day I understood why some girls are scared of traveling alone or going out at night. I always thought, they were not brave enough but I was wrong. Some situations demand you to be cautious. When you are stuck at the wrong place at the wrong hour, you realize few of your mistakes, like missing your train or not saving enough balance to call family in need.

My parents came to pick me and I joked with them on how Draupadi had powers to call Lord Krishna for help during her cheer-haran and wish girls today have such powers to call someone for help during such difficult times. After all, crime against women has only increased. We need more protection and preparedness now. Little did I know that technology would come to our rescue soon. Thanks to Apps like Smart Suraksha, now we can send message to five selected people and police with the press of a button. It not only alerts your family and friends but also sends your location without your GPS being on. You can also record important message like bike number of the guy who is stalking you on a deserted road and send it to your pre-assigned five contacts. You can call not one but five people for help. Isn't it a great way of assuring yourself that you can reach for help anytime, anywhere? I wish I had Smart Suraksha with me that cold frightening December night.

With the increasing number of crime against women in our country, all of us should be prepared for unforeseen dangers. Downloading safety apps like Smart Suraksha would not only came handy in difficult times but also give us a sense of security. So, ladies download Smart Suraksha and call your own Krishnas for help.

*I am participating in the Seeking Smart Suraksha contest at BlogAdda.com in association with Smart Suraksha App.