Wednesday, November 02, 2005
How was your Diwali?
Well...That title should have given a tinge of explanation for the tone of this post....Mine was not bad..That's the most that I can say about this...All because, I was witness to a near fatal(that's what I think...I am not sure of that!) accident in the thick of night(again if you consider 9:00 PM as late evening, I am not to be blamed....
That was the day before Diwali and I had planned for a get together for my School Friends...So, had mailed the group asking for the opinion and seeing no replies to the mail, had lost hope of it..But suddenly, felt like going to Neyveli(for some other work) and so, ended up in my friends place...Was astonished to see that, there was already a big gang waiting for the get together, thinking that I had made all plans ready....But, ended up with a good dinner and a wonderful time....
As it was time to return home(a good 25 Kms ride..), I started early..at around 8:30 PM and the road is a fairly decent road, with not so much as potholes, as there are stray cattles. I started off with my TVS Victor, and it being a faithful new machine, was at its best at 80 Kms/hour and I was enjoying the ride immensely. The ride was all fine and I was humming the "Oru Maalai Ilaiuthir Kaalam" and was at that particular sentence, which says, "Mazhail sendraal, un mugham, en manathil neerai iranghum", when I saw what I saw...
There were three silhouettes, standing on the road, a massive dark patch that was and seemingly immobile. As I drove nearer, I realised those were bovines- a calf and two adult cows. With my continuos horn not making any dent in their resolve to enjoy the quite night out under the dark sky, I was wondering how to cross them.
That being a State Highway, connecting Chennai with Kumbhakonam, there was always good traffic of high speed vehicles in it. As I saw two head lights at a distance approaching me, I braked my Victor and started blarring the horn even more hardly(as if it makes any difference- how much harder you press the horn, the sound is going to be the same- foolish me..) The head lights doesn't seem to be slowing down and as each moment passed, I was praying the head lights will slow down or the poor cattle will move out of the road...
Suddenly, there was a loud squeaking sound at my back and I couldn't even think about it, as there was huge thud in my front. The bus, speeding at somewhere close to 80 Kms/hour had hit the cow in its face and the cow was swinging wildly(Sorry for the bad language..I couldn't find a suitable word to explain that movement- what you call, "thataamaalai" in tamil- the closest I can come to that word and the meaning was this!)... and it was wildly flying towards the road side, thrown away from the hitting bus.
I was standing there, with utter untrust, shocked to the core to see the red lights of the bus's rear, disappearing from my sight at the near-by turn and hearing the blarring horn of the car, that had screeched at my back... The guy from the car at the back, got out of the car and started shouting "It's not me!..It was the bus"..there was none expect us in the visible distance and with that, I had already come a good 100-150 Mts away from the still trembling( and violently quivering) cow.
I couldn't decide what to do..I check my cell for the possible signal that had been playing hide and seek from morning, only to find that the battery had completely dried off and the mobile was dead. I yell at the guy asking for his cell..He hands over the cell and as I frantically start dialling, 100, he jumps over to me and snatches away the cell and says"Its of no use. Dont stand here...start out..this is not the right place to stand now..You will be caught and be beaten.." But I plead him to atleast make a call to the nearby police station, so that they can take charge. The cow is still alive and it is panting.
The remaining two cows, were licking the wounded one and I can see they retreating back. That doesn't omen well for me, as I am amused by the behaviour. Usually, cows are known to be around their wounded ones and to lick them continously..As I get the full meaning of their action of abandoning, I realise that, it might be too late now, even for help to reach. The Car guy asks me to follow him to the nearest Police Station and suggests that we can lodge a complaint there.
I agree to this suggestion and as I start the bike and start following him, I see that Fiat Uno's speed is much more than my Victor to catch up and I fail in my attempt to follow him after a couple of minutes. I horn continoulsy to remind him of me at the back, only to find that the speed keeps increasing steadily, till the point at which, I reach 90 Kms/Hour and still see that the distance between me and the car increases.
I curse the car guy, and curse the bus driver for the rash driving....I curse the villagers to have let the cattle out in open in the night, I curse the Government to have not put up street lights there, I curse the foolish cattle for not having brains to keep away from the road on seeing the head lights.....
I cross the Police Station cursing myself.
The Diwali wasn't what it was supposed to be.
I am no longer able to hum that "Mazhail sendraal, un mugham, en manathil neerai iranghum"......
Jus been
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6 Comments:
oh god.. oh god... this shouldn't hav happened... holy cow!
Was wondering how you were singing "Oru Maalai ilaveyil.." at night 8.30pm, but no mood to discuss that now!
Even I had similar experience post-diwali. When we were driving back to blr, there was a cow-boy(a cowboy?) who crossed the wide highway- holding one end of the rope around the neck a cow and 3 more cows following it in a line. You should see the way he lesiurely walked across the road with his cattles when so many vehicles were plying at top speeds not giving a damn to the blaring horns! We almost came to a shreiking halt and even then unable to avoid collision, my brother had to take a sharp cut there! It was like a circus on the middle of the road. It sucks to see such people deliberately risking innocent lives for quick money.
the bus didnt even slow down....man, that sucks even more....
@Chakra: Thats true...Holy Cow..Poor Holy Cow!
@DD:What is wrong in humming that song?:P..BTW, I cudnt quite get ur point on quick bucks story!
@Mottai: That really bad n I wudnt say more coz, I myself is guilty!
That shock would have been there for a while, I guess.
@DDU: Yeah..u r so true...thats what we can do at the least..I didnt do even that!:( shame on me!..BTW, I never knew u drove to pondy that day..if I am referring to the correct day!
@Sat:It is still there!
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