"Dream, Dream, Dream! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action."
- Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
15 Dec 2022
As Anil Upadhyaya, a 61-year-old retired employee of an electrical distribution business lay unconscious on one of the busiest road crossings in Gwalior, people instead of providing assistance, were filming him.
A boy came running and intimated this incident to Subedar Sonam Parashar, a young woman traffic police, who was on duty nearby. She rushed to the spot and sprung into action. She first summoned the police emergency vehicle to ensure timely medical help. Then she started administering CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) procedure that revived the elderly man and brought him back to consciousness.
On the way to the hospital, Sonam kept talking to him so that he didn’t drift into a state of unconsciousness once again. Her timely help saved Upadhyaya’s life.
Sonam, who is also a mother to a three-year-old son had conducted demos of CPR in Gwalior schools, but she said this was the first time she used this life-saving art practically to save a life in a real-life situation in a crowded public place.
Sonam has been showered with accolades from the family of the elderly man whose life she saved to CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan after the video of the woman traffic cop doing prompt CPR on him went viral.
The incident underlines the necessity of every responsible citizen to know the basic knowledge of giving CPR to save a life.