Had gone for Associate Group Dinner yesterday..that was for my birthday last year(May 30th 2004)...Then I was in my Summers in Mumbai(I had blogged about that in May itself and that makes a funny read now)....we were missing the dinner for quite some time( for as Mundane a reason as unable to get all ppl free), as it got postponed for one reason or the other...Yesterday, I don't yet know the reason, was one of those days, when I get a bit introverted and reclined to self... but the date had already been decided and no excuses can be given, that too as flimsy as out of mood...also it was a shared dinner....Me, Souveer and Santhosh shared the dinner...(as in Joint Dinner)...going it alone for a 9 member group is not particularly healthy on your wallet....so decided to go to Pisces in Udupi...people had some classes till 7.50 PM and so, it was decided that we would meet at the campus at 8.00 and start from there...We were running short of bikes, as one of the bikes was in service center and so, I borrowed the bike from Bansal...was a bit unsure of it from the beginning...the bike is a caricature of a model that the company(Bajaj) itself couldn't decipher and it had been terrorizing Manipal for sometime now...but had little choice (We cannot dictate terms when we borrow things...we need to change the rules...*sigh*).....Karan was riding in the Pillion....the handle bar of the bike was a bit rough and it was difficult turning the bike...but couldn't possibly refuse it...got riding it and went to the Insti....now jus as you enter the insti, there is this speed breaker..not the normal bumper, but the one with Iron bars....when I turned from the Main Road into the Insti, couldn't turn the Bike properly and I knew I am losing control.....tried to alert Karan about the impending danger..but before I could say anything, Karan was on the ground with the Bike and I was on the other side...unscathed...I expected Karan too to be Okay...I asked him How is he....he replied he was Okay..but when I checked his pants and legs, I found his trousers were torn at the Knees and I know for sure, he must have been hurt....yeah...he was hurt and was bleeding.....there were some scrathes and bruises in his Knees...I feel guilty...Had I had been hurt, may be I would have not got this feeling....I feel terrible....He started consoling me....told the trousers are pretty old and that he himself was trying to get rid of them....pretty good sense of humour....but already I was not too enthusiastic (I was out of good mood from the Morning....)..I was really feeling bad...sure, had I been hurt, I wouldnt have had that feeling....Guilt is more potent than bodily harm....I wouldnt have been this sorry had he not been bleeding....Though we came back to the hostel, got his wound dressed and proceeded, I wasnt too happy with the dinner...Kiran had already seen us falling and had told the entire group....We took some pictures there in the Dinner too....
Today its sort of okay...the wound has started to dry (atleast I console myself telling this)...Karan is okay...actually it is a simple scratch..but what makes me feel sad is that I was driving the bike and I came unhurt....
Iam usually dont get scared...actually when I was in my third year engineering, I met with a severe accident...the bike fell on my leg and the Brake lever cut through my right leg's middle and fourth finger....with excessive bleeding, I managed to drive the bike back to room and to hospital(then all my roomies were out to Bangalore), got stitched with the leg still bleeding...But this small scratch has made me feel more remorse than that...