In my sophomore days, sixteen of our hostel mates planned a one day picnic to Kalpakkam. We chose Kalpakkam because couple of my friends live there and actually they were the one who invited us.
We got up early in the morning (it was very unusual in college days) got ready and boarded the ‘Saroja’ kind of van and headed towards Kalpakkam as early as 6:30 AM. As usual the journey was filled with pranks and teasings of college youth.
Once we reached Kalpakkam, without wasting much time we headed towards the beach.
Eight of the sixteen decided to go on a voyage in Catamaran. The catamaran was taking its full night’s rest at the beach sand with the luxury of waves lullaby. (I am sometimes poetic you know) It looked like a simple boat with a motor at its back. A long iron rod with a fan at the end was attached to the motor and it was designed in such a way that they can keep the fan up towards the sky until it reach a safe distance inside the sea.
While two guys were pushing the catamaran, one of my friends just pushed me down in the sand. Before falling down I heard the 'whirl' of the fan near my right ear. Yeah. I missed it by a whisker.
Well, it didn’t affect me much, we said 'tata' and gave a oohhhho send off to our 8 sailors and was waiting on the sand for our chance.
It would take atleast one hour for them to return and so I suggested for a swim in the sea. Four rejected and they were happy to converse with the fisherman on the enchanting trip to the sea. The other four, including me decided to have a dip at the sea.
Hundai mandayan (Etymology: he started balding and his fore head looks like Hyundai bonnet), Gundan (no etymology required), myself and Santa were the ones who decided to go.
The feeling of being amidst the waves was like flying and we thoroughly enjoyed it. All of a sudden, it seems I fell deep into a pit and I started drowning. I am not a very skillful swimmer though I am confident of saving myself. I made the movement to come up the water, but the big waves immediately covered me leaving a few seconds up the surface. I could hardly breathe.
I decided to call for help. I said ‘kapath…’ a wave covered me. I was down again. When I came back up again, Hundai said “dai machi chumma thana pannara” (means aren’t you just feigning). I was like fuming amidst the disaster. Gundan gave me his hand and he came in and started struggling. So was Santa. After a few minutes of vigorous attempt to save my life, all my energy depleted. I thought I am going to experience death.
All of a sudden, I got a strong arm lifting me up from the water. I saw the fishermen with my friends forming human chain from the shore to help us. One good thing Hyundai did was to call the help of fishermen. Had he given hand to me, we four would have been only in photos with Kumkum and garland in our home.
Immediately after reaching the shore, some said,” it happened twice and will happen one more time to complete the sentimental three”. Some others said, “it’s a no moon day and that’s why the waves are at peak”. It didn’t bother me much. I still love being in water.
But this incident made me to realize that my life is very vulnerable and I can encounter death any time in life. Untill this incident I never thought myself with death.
People say it is inauspicious to pronounce the word ‘Death’. But I think, if we pronounce it or not, we cannot avoid death. We see so many people dying, we attend innumerable condolences, but have you ever realized that we would also experience death one day?
It can be by an accident today or tomorrow or anyother day. Or we may dye out of old age. We are certain to experience that death one day in our life. We can’t escape.
How will it be. Will it pain? I don’t know what I was before my birth? Will death be like prebirth period, the nothingness?. Or will it be like a dreamless permanent sleep. Somehow my mind is not accepting that I will come out of my body and watch all those cry sitting in a corner like a bunch of smoke.
Whatever it is, I value death because it thought me the nature of nature. Theists can replace the second ‘nature’ with ‘God’. As I already said in my previous posts, the nature follows certain rules and it cannot be changed with all our begging and trading that we do with God. Death teaches us this point in a very hard way. Do you think any amount of money or the best doctor or the best preacher, can bring back a dead man alive?
PS: I am sorry guys. I coudnt blog or leave a comment in my fellow bloggers’ for the past couple of weeks. I was busy proving this world that I am brilliant. The world thinks you are brilliant only when you earn money. If you don’t earn money, then they will call you a dumb fella. Understand this fact and shut up. Or else this world will call you a non pragmatic person.
PPS: I actually thought of writing a completely different genre here. But will do it in my next post.
*******************************************
GUEST POST
As I am little ambiguous about death, I requested two of my fellow bloggers who think far better than me, to write a poem and a writeup as a guest blogger here. They were very generous and gave a beautiful poem and a wonderful writeup. Enjoy it. Thanks a lot pals.Here I present it.
Death (Poem by Vipul Grover)
As an unbearable pain suddenly engulfed him
He just felt an unusual surge of eternal peace
The moments he had lived, flashed, exciting and grim
While the people around mourned like buzzing bees.
As those weary eyes closed for that last one time
He smiled for his perpetual voyage begins.
“Almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
Hope you all enjoyed it. I don’t know when I will find time again to blog. Hope it would be on next Sunday. See you then.
Posts
