BENGALURU: It had all the trappings of the routine recital of apathy and inhumanity when 30-year-old Yellamma, who was pregnant, collapsed in the middle of a busy junction in Manvi town of North Karnataka’s Raichur district. But what unfolded instead conveyed a vast array of emotions that hinged on kindness.
Yellamma’s wish for a girl child came true when she delivered a healthy baby on the road and in the middle of the busy junction. But the most amazing moment was when an aged woman beggar, who was sitting nearby, played the midwife.
A mother of three boys visited a private hospital in the town after having completed 36 weeks. She was advised to visit Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) as she was found to be anaemic. Accordingly, the couple visited Raichur (60km from Manvi) and returned to the town by bus around.
Quoting eyewitnesses Ballatgi said: “She got off the bus and fell on the road. She couldn’t move to safety. While her husband was visibly shocked to see her bleed, a good Samaritan rushed to her rescue.” A local television reporter who later visited the spot said: “The Samaritan was a woman beggar, aged around 60. She knew that she had to act immediately if the mother and the baby were to be saved. So, she turned into a midwife on the road. Soon, a few other women from the nearby locality joined her.”
The couple’s joy knew no bounds when they first saw the baby. Yellamma and the newborn were later shifted to Manvi Government Hospital. The woman beggar reportedly disappeared when the crowd dispersed.
