The rains haven’t stopped for 3 days now. The city is almost flooded. Haven’t gone out anywhere for more than a week. It’s been just me in my room with food. The clock reads 20:23. And I am in a real need to freak out somewhere in this rain. Facebooking can turn out a real bore sometimes. I look for friends who are available. And yes. Here is Deep Ardin, another jobless freak like me.
Abhinav: Dude I want to go somewhere.
Deep: You mad? Where will you go?
Abhinav: Yarada!
Deep: Hmm… we can go in a car. Ask Peyus.
Abhinav: Who all you think can come?
Deep: You ask Kireetie I will ask Peyus.
Abhinav: Ok.
(5 minutes later)
Abhinav: This ass didn’t pick up.
Deep: Hahaha same here.
Abhinav: Ok wait he picked up.
(5 minutes later)
Abhinav: He said he will call up in sometime and tell if he is coming. If he is coming he will get the car, he said.
Deep: Cool! If it’s a car I am in. Else take light.
Abhinav: No dude. Listen. We will go no matter what. We will go on bikes. It will be fun- water all around, the rain, the wind, the ride, the shivers. It will be awesome, trust me.
Deep: No. I have exams day after, I will fall sick. I will come only if its car.
Abhinav: Let’s see, let him call up first.
(20 minutes later)
(The phone rings)
Kireetie: Dude I am coming.
Abhinav: Really? What did you tell at home?
Kireetie: I told you are sick and I have to take you hospital.
Abhinav: Haha! Ok. Listen pick up Deep while you come. I will ask him to call you up.
Line disconnects.
(On facebook)
Abhinav: Kireetie is coming to your place to pick you.
Deep: No… No I am not coming on bikes.
Abhinav: You ass he is coming in car. You call him and talk to him once. And listen while you come, get me veg. fried rice from People’s Kitchen. I will pay you after you come here.
Deep: I will see if it is open.
Abhinav: Ok! Get it if it’s open. Else we will see something. I will call up Peyus.
(Peyus’ phone rings...)
Peyus: Hello! (A lot of noise in the background)
Abhinav: We are going to yarada! You will come?
Peyus: When?
Abhinav: Now.
Peyus: Ok. I will come.
Abhinav: Fine. Come to my room, Kireetie is coming with the car, he is picking up Deep. You come here.
Peyus: Ok. Bye.
(Line disconnects)
It’s a cold night, with rain nonstop, no current and I am in bathroom, trying to take shower, only to realize that water isn’t coming. There is a bucket half full of freezing water and I manage in that.
(15 minutes later)
Peyus arrives all wet, water dripping on my floor. Except his underwear he changes his clothes and uses mine. 20 minutes later, Kireetie and Deep arrive with food.
We take the food, lock the room, go to the car. Hot fried rice in cold rain feels great. Once eating was over. The ride began. If you have never sat while Kireetie drives, take my word, don’t sit either. His car should have a warning before you enter; “Heart patients, small kids and pregnant women not allowed”. With heavy downpour, all water on the roads, and no proper view our hero was driving it at 90kmph minimum and once we hit the highway the speedometer didn’t come below 100. The twists and turn and the dodges, I had my balls in my mouth on many occasions. The only thing he didn’t do was wheelie with his car. I wouldn’t have been surprised though if even that took place.
NH5 is all wet. We are zipping past everything at 110kmph. I am holding the seats from the rear looking at the road and praying for mere survival. We are past Autonagar, and a car ahead of us suddenly applies brakes and changes its lane and drives ahead. We notice what made him change the lane. An accident had taken place, appeared very recent. The bike destroyed, the rider is fallen and is motionless. We drive by as well, along with others, but decide to take a U-turn and we arrive at the place where the accident took place. The bike is ripped apart, the dome on the ground, other vulnerable parts of the bike, broken and spread on the road. The rider is motionless, wearing a white jacket, the head is covered with the cap and the face with a kerchief. The jacket is curled up to his chest and exposing his motionless stomach to the rain. I am standing there wondering, if he is alive or dead.
I reach out to check his pulse. The hand is cold and fists closed tight, I don’t find any pulse. I ask Peyus to check the pulse of the other hand. He didn’t find any either. We declare him dead. Deep is freaking out, and asking us to leave. Kireetie calls up 108. Instead of summoning someone quickly to the accident scene, the 108 official is asking stupid questions, what is your name? where you from? among others. People are still driving by. The accident appears to be recent because the engine is hot and fumes are coming out of it. The only thing which is distracting the drivers and making them take another lane is the blinker of the bike, which upon falling has got switched on and is attracting attention, thus warning people of the accident; else a high speeding truck would have gone over this poor guy long time back.
7 minutes have past by and no 108 has yet arrived, just when this man coughs. The reason it happened was the rain was entering his nose and thus going up into his head which made him cough. Peyus and I shout “HE IS ALIVE, He is alive.” We try to lift his head to avoid water from entering his nose. That is when I notice, there is a severe head injury with blood on the road, which was flowing down with water. Peyus tries to help me, and blood flows down his hand through the head. We try to press the injury and shield his face from water. I notice due to the injury the cerebellum fluid has flown out through his nose. We call 108 again summoning them the victim is alive, by now some of the people have stopped noticing the drama happening, and they call 108 as well. More 15 minutes passes by and yet no 108.
The guy is breathing heavily; I notice he has a phone in his pocket. I reach out for it, when others shout DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING.
Abhinav: He has a phone, we can call up some of his relative, tell them about the accident.
Deep: No, you are not supposed to touch anything.
Peyus: Yes, don’t do anything until 108 comes.
I had no choice but to listen to them.
Another 8 minutes later Ambulance comes. Lazily stops. There is no nurse, no doctor- a driver with a helper. The helper is looking at the victim and instead of acting quick is arranging his hoodie’s cap and tying a knot.
Then he says: Let’s keep him like this for 2 minutes then we will take him inside.
Something makes him think again, and he says: No let’s take him inside first.
Along with others we help in lifting him, and place him on the stretcher. The stretcher moves in, and he says he is taking him to KGH. I inform him that there is a phone in his pocket, there must be a contact of his relative, call them up and inform them of the accident. He says he will do.
Deep: Let’s leave now at least.
And we departed.
We all went by to our respective houses and slept the day away, but the night that we had just witnessed would be etched in our memories for a long long time.
I am glad that this Last Night of October was not the last night for that rider. He shall live to see more Octobers. But this entire mishap brought a few things to my notice:
1. The rider was unconscious, lying on the road waiting to be run over by a speeding vehicle. Why didn’t anybody stop and come forward for his help? Was it the rain? Was it the hurry? Or has the value of life decreased?
2. There was a phone in the rider’s pocket. I could have taken that phone, called up his relative myself, why didn’t I take that responsibility? Why did I try to take the short way out and escape the trouble? Are we all turning emotionless? Is this the way it is supposed to be?
The night gave me all these questions. I wonder how many more nights it shall take me to figure out the answers. I hope we all are not heading in the wrong direction.
