It was June 18, 2007, Beautiful Bright Monday morning. A day I will never ever forget in my life time. Good weather to start your week. I head to office with lot of energies, enthusiasm as I always do. I always liked to be in such good place where highly committed and dedicated people work in such soothing environment. I’ve always got what I have dreamt for. Well I reached office at about half past eight, checked my calendar and my mails. I was about to start my work and I noticed none in our Team bay except Nisha. It was lil unusual though. I was about to leave for my breakfast and still no one near their work stations. I checked my boss’s calendar whether my fella colleagues are on leave that day but nuttin I got there. I went to Nisha (My Fella team member) and asked about them. She gave me a bad news that Chaithra’s dad has passed away and all fella members have gone to her native to attend the condolence. Well it was over 900 hours in the morning and I was literally taken in shock. Well it’s so disastrous NEWS and I decide to leave to her native right when I listened to this. Well when I was planning on this, Bhavesh my colleague approached to me and asked whether I was moving to her place. I said yes and even he joined. Well the place was Soolya, a place which takes an hour drive away from Mangalore is not an easier task and going by Bus, forget it!! and the total distance is over 225 KM and I have time till 1700 Hours. So I decide to hire a car which was optimal decision to make at that point in time. By the time I arrange a car, it was 1116 Hours and two other friends were ready to join us. We left Bangalore at 1130 Hours and me, Bhavesh, Pannag and Ajay quite comfortable in the TATA Indica.
We all started talking and Ajay said that Chaithra’s’s dad just finished his morning walk and was back home and passed away a few minutes later because of a Massive heart attack. I dint speak a word and was thinking about life and death. The distance between Life and death is so tiny and any things can happen to any one at any moment. It was a bad thing for Chaithra’s family though. It shouldn’t have happened but no can change their luck or rather bad luck, I said this to myself and I was also reminded that even I have to go one day, But before this I have to give something to my country, family and achieve my goal. Way to go!!!
Well we thought of having our breakfast in Madhur and we finished it and the time when we left that place was 1400 hours. We started and took some rest. To reach to that place, we have to go via Koorg. Our driver was driving over 68miles / hour on the high way. Well it was 1646 hours we were 31 miles away from Koorg. I was sitting in the front seat with my seat belts ON. It was 1720 hours we were near Bagamandala, a place in Koorg. I see a Medical store there, since I had a bad head ache and kind of vomiting sensation at that point, I ask the driver to stop the car so that I can buy medicine for myself. The car was stopped and I bought the tablets for me. When I return to the car I asked Ajay whether he wants to sit in the front and he says yes and we started.
We were in interior Koorg, a beautiful place. The weather here is always cool. That hill station, those hills surrounded by huge trees and any were you see its greenery. I was feeling so relaxed in that beautiful environment but it dint last for long. The roads in interior Koorg is kinda zigzag and was pretty dangerous to drive and that too if it’s raining, it’s really hard. We had almost made, we were approximately 50 KMS away from our destiny and all of the sudden our driver takes a diversion, we were about 55 KMS/H at that point which is not recommended. We see a truck from the other direction with the same speed right in front of us. My heart stopped for a second, everyone were shouting but I couldn’t hear to even a tiny sound. All that was in my mind was Truck is gonna bang us. Guess what we met with an terrifying accident!! Our Car banged to the truck’s gas tank and the trucks gas started flowing, the force actually chopped the outer part of the gas tank. Guess what we were safe with small wounds here and there. If the truck had moved little further then we would have fell from that hill and it would have been hard to find our bodies too!!! It all happened in a second. Our car was damaged and damage was more. Luckily everyone including driver was safe. I was in panic and to come out of that panic it took a day or two. It’s still in my eyes and those moments will never blur off from my life.
I, Pannag, Bhavesh and Ajay got down from the cab and I had pain on upper part of my foot but the point was we were safe enough. Our driver asked us to proceed and he shall take care of the car and at that point I was feeling bad to leave him alone but we were helpless. If we are late then we won’t be able to attend to the funeral and hence we were forced to leave. A chicken farmer gave us a drop till Chaithra’s’s Place and by the time we reach the funeral was completed. I felt very bad for this. We reached to Chaithra’s’s place, I entered in along with other colleagues, and the house was pretty silent. We saw Chaithra and her mom. They were pretty depressed. I talked with Chaithra, a nice lady with never changing attitude towards whatever she does. I felt very bad when she was crying but we can never say anything than giving confidence. It was the great loss for their family. I spoke to Chaithra’s’s mother and finally the time had come to leave. We four left at 2030 hours and got a bus to Bangalore. I was in damn panic to travel during night but I was forced coz of the situations. We reached Bangalore with lotz of learning at 0600 Hours and I am glad that I am still alive to share these moments with you.
“A journey, an experience, Still Alive”
Kudos and Cheers
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Mohan
