I nearly lost my mom's mobile

The season: Durga Puja! Location: Shillong! Weather: Rains! No matter how the weather is, and if you are in Shillong, rain is something of a daily routine almost and for none of these can we ever miss Durga Puja.

I was carrying too much stuff - bags to hold umbrellas, my purse, camera and my Ma's mobile! So I got off from the cab we had hired, I needed to have everything with me. Purse was needed as I could not leave behind whatever little cash I was carrying even though the driver was trusted and we would be back in less than 15 minutes. Camera was needed to capture the season and the festivities and mobile is an all time need anyways. And since it was raining, I could not leave behind the umbrellas too!

So, the mobile  was dropped I and didn't know until I was at the Puja pandal and relaized something was missing. I didn't dare tell anyone for I knew I would be rebuked for my carelessness. The few minutes it took us to get back to the cab, time seemed to be running and I was all thinking about finding it in some corner of the car and in the worst case I had also planned to get the same mobile for my Ma.

Just as I was to get inside the cab, I saw the mobile lying on the street, uncared and since it had a cover on, no damage was done. I picked it up immediately and thanked my stars! Stars, or the Mother Godess or the Rain, but someone or all three of them had just saved my day.

The driver noticed and asked me in serious tones if I had dropped it and though I tried to ssshhh him, my folks got the story. No harm done, the mobile was there and yes it was proved to me that I do carry a blessing with me!

What was called 'Miracle'

That day we survived! It was a miracle and people called it our 'rebirth'!

It was early March 2004, probably 3rd of March! Just a few days before Holi but was kind of warm and sunny. I was working in an evening shift then, 3 pm to 11 pm and I was not wearing a sweater even though I would return late! So it must have been warm! I wore a peach coloured suit and I really used to love the dupatta because it had some embroidery work on it.

We were 7 people on our way to work, three girls occupying the middle seats in the Sumo, one guy at the front seat and three guys behind. All of us were nearly sleepy as the cab drove through the empty Dwarka streets on a warm afternoon. And our friend P at the front seat had just told the driver to slow down. And then I didn't know what was happening...we were hit by another cab and God it was true, our cab was turning and tossing up and down and we came to know later that it had tossed 4 times! And in those few minutes, my mind was blank and wondering if it would all stop at all.

I don't even remember that someone had pulled me out of the cab through broken doors and windows, what I remember that my mobile which was in my hand was lying somewhere and I found it, it's display gone...I found my slippers, wore them and I knew I had cuts, there were little blood stains, my peach colour suit was torn at the back and I was using my favourite dupatta to cover myself up.

P was better than the rest of us tyankfully for he had used the seat belt, and I was better than the rest inspite of the cuts and the pain. J was bleeding badly for the cab had hit her side of the window. A was hurt too but the degree of her hurt came out much later but then she was better than the others then. VS, VK and IL were thrown out like bags as they had not locked the door.

People assembled all around us and some passers by even didn't think that anyone could have escaped alive. I don't remember much of the cab's condition but friends who saw it were nauseating. P did a lot, gathered all the courage, called the PCR, sent us all to the hospital, got first aid for himself before he could make it to the hospital.

Inside the PCR van, we all were shivering in pain and fright, J's head was bleeding and IL and me tried to hold her tight, tell her everything was going to be okay till the time we reached the hospital.

In spite of the terrible nature of the accident, none of us had received any fracture. There were dressings and stitches and three of us were discharged on the same night. The rest were to recover in due time but everyone out of danger!

It took some time for all of us to get back in shape and join work one by one. It was nearly after a month that the last member joined! The finest gesture I ever saw from management was when they got a cake for us to celebrate our rebirth and return and yes, the seven of us cut that cake to cheer our health! And P's heroism was applauded too!

The scar still remains, the pain is long gone and what remains are memories of friendship and togetherness. And memories of a miracle!