Providence: Tale of two Lives, Mine included

23-Mar-2013

Providence: Tale of two Lives, Mine included

08:43 hours this Thursday could have been a defining moment for 2 lives had it not been for a divine intervention.  My usual self bade a bye to my wife lodging my rucksack in the backseat of my car, mumbling my daily prayers easing into the unwelcome chaotic puzzling Hyderabadi traffic. 

This day’s traffic was no different and my watchful self waded through the morning chaos thinking of the surprises that my work will offer.  My thoughts took me into the World of the XL the columns, the rows, the pivots, the numbers I will have to work on to get to a graph evidencing that I was in the right and the client is making much ado about nothing.  The other part of my mind was working on which song would be best to listen to and ah yes…the third folder…the fifth song..for that Kishore song..”Savera ka Sooraj….” Or should I tune into one of the FM channels to listen to ….Clang…Crash…thud...Wail….Screeeeech…Screech…and I find a young twenty something sprawled inches away in front of my car, his helmet had come off and his belongings strewn, his bike lying parallel on the road with the rear wheels still whirring with life….What the..where did he..how did he….and I slammed my brakes with a supreme effort stopping inches from his head.  Visibly shaken and completely stirred, the blood drained ashen me rooted in my seat let out a rare bead of sweat…With my heart pounding, I got out to check the damage that lay in front…Did I hit him?  Did my car touch him?  Is he ok?  Is there blood?  But where did he come from and how did he land there out of nowhere?

A few good Samaritans stopped by, lending a helping hand to the 20 something who appeared to be thoroughly puzzled and was muttering some choicest expletives on someone.  I figured that the recipient of these expletives was a jay walker crossing the road on foot, who appeared out from behind a car that was running adjacent to mine.  Completely blind sighted and surprised, the biker slammed his brakes but could not avoid hitting him.  Losing balance, he fell, his bike in front of the car adjacent to mine and he himself flung right in front of mine.

I was wondering What if I were doing 35 kmph instead of 30 kmph.....what if I was fiddling with the stereo controls getting to my fav song or trying to avoid an ad on the FM moving to the next station or I had my head turned admiring the BMW 720D or a black Merc A Class that may have been tailing mine or a momentary lapse of concentration having a dekho at a Pretty Young Thing ambling on the road or stealing a look at my phone to check who called ??..…What a defining difference that micro-second could have had.....

Providence had a big role to play this Thursday surely, else, It would have completely changed my life in multifarious ways.  And the 20 something would have lost a limb or two or may be looking for a broken back life cursing his fate and or even worse possibly be on his last ever journey on mother earth.  

How a micro-second of time on the road esp. the Hyderabadi  roads could completely change a life…I keep wondering…..

Prasanna Meher Nori