The Good Meitei*

A man from Kohima was travelling down to Dimapur to attend to some business affairs. It was soon getting dark when he was stopped by highway robbers near the Patkai Bridge. They seized his Maruti Alto, took all that he had, beat him and left him half dead by the road.

At that time, a pastor was coming back from a Bible camp held at Dimapur. He praised God for the many souls saved, but exhausted after the 4 days of tight speaking engagement, he was more than happy to be travelling back home in Kohima for a well deserved rest. His wife and children will be eagerly waiting with warm water to bathe, and a hearty dinner prepared for him. He saw the man lying by the road side as he looked out of his white Bolero and felt sorry for the poor guy. He thought, “Shouldn’t I stop and take care of him? I need to. But if I do, I have to turn back and take him to a hospital in Dimapur. Since there’s no one with him and if he or his relatives cannot be identified, it will be my responsibility to care for him which may take days. Besides, I’m very exhausted. What if the guy is a bad person, an alcoholic beaten by a mob, or a member of some underground group?” These thoughts flashed through his mind as his driver drove passed the man lying by the road. Within seconds they were far away and the man was forgotten.

Now, a politician was travelling by the same road at that hour. He laid the foundation stone of a new office building at Peren and was returning to Dimapur via Medziphema. He saw the dying man but simply drove away with his team. Not a thing moved in his heart for the man. Election was too far away to show any noble publicity stunt, and he already has a strong public support.

A night bus from Imphal to Guwahati was passing by soon after the politician. Suddenly the bus came to a stop just in front of the man by the highway. Curious passengers looked out at the man and wondered why the bus had stopped. Then they saw a fellow Meitei getting off the bus with his bag and wondered what he is up to. He puzzled everyone by asking the driver and co-passengers to carry on the journey. They questioned what he is going to do, but he simply insisted that they go on ahead. The Meitei approached the wounded man and tried to revive him. He breathed a sigh of relieve to find the man still breathing. He immediately stopped an auto and took him to Zion hospital and cared for him. When the man regained consciousness and gave his name, address and phone numbers, his family members were immediately called from Kohima. The family profusely thanked the Meitei for saving their loved one. It was already too late and the Meitei went to Dimapur town and stayed the night in a hotel. The next morning he caught the first bus and was again on his way to Guwahati.

*The Good Meitei can also be a Tangkhul, a Bru, a Kuki, a Bangladeshi migrant, a Palestinian Widow taking care of a wounded Israeli soldier, or - as in the original parable - a Samaritan.