Corona, Myself and Death.

One fine Sunday, I woke up with high-grade fever which persisted above 103 °F for 48 hours. It was corona period and in that febrile delirium there was a storm of thoughts in my brain – in which I remembered few other moments of my life when I was close to death—rather, I actually saw death.

It is said that Ian Fleming had created his James Bond character based on a true spy. In his movie- You Only Live Twice– there is one sentence– “you only live twice, once when you are born and once when you face death.”

Well, I cannot remember the moment of my birth, but I could remember the moments when I faced death. In fact, three such moments.

This is the story of the first.

Year 2003.

I arrived in Konkan in 1995 and for the first 5 years, I didn’t leave Kudal for even a single day. But two things always made me restless internally — first was the jungles and second was forts of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

I started my excursions with small hillocks nearby and then surmounted Rangana Fort three-four times and Manohar-Mansantosh Fort once. Then I zeroed in on Pargad.

As usual, I checked the map, found a village at the base of the fort, spoke on the  Grampanchayat phone (in 2003- mobiles were yet to come in Konkan), and fixed for a person to come with me through the dense forest, to the fort.

The distance was 90 km—so I left Kudal at 3 am. It was a single-lane highway back in 2003. After Sawantwadi, there is a small tortuous ghat.

There was only one acute hairpin bend with a height gradient which was double than normal. I reached there and one car came from the opposite side. Suddenly that driver flipped full lights on. Within the next 2 seconds, the car passed by my side and I realized that my car tyres had left the tar road. There was a loud sound of gravel crushing under tyres. I literally stood on the brake pedal and my car stopped.

Well, there are rods and cones – basic elements of day and night vision in our retina– the back curtain in the eye where image registers.

With full bright lights, I was almost blind.  Shifting from bright to dark vision could have taken hardly one and a half seconds (during which I was standing on the brake pedal), and then I would be able to see forward. For nonmedical readers- this dark vision is dependent on vitamin A, which is in carrots, and I love carrots.

But I could not see the valley. Actually, I saw nothing but a big void.

The car’s nose was inclined by 30 to 40 degrees. Headlights were on but the light disappeared into the abyss. Suddenly I felt the knot in my stomach increasing. No car was coming from either side. ” Sirf main aur meri tanhai ” situation. But Tanhai never takes your life.

In my first MBBS physiology, I learned flight and fright response of the body to sudden (acute) grave(serious) situations.

Well, the knot in my stomach was part of it. Other parts started immediately. In one-hundredth of a second, a liter full (not literally) of adrenaline was secreted by my adrenal glands and was running through my blood to all of my body. My basic survival instincts became alive. Those survival instincts are always there in animals, those instincts that are taught to defense forces (commandos).

How can I praise my own brain?  My amygdala was on fire. The  Amygdala is part of the brain connected with these survival instincts.

Next 2/3 seconds– I evaluated the situation — car engine was not on, car was not moving an inch. From the side window- I saw down– steep rocky patch of 100 feet or so then maybe some bushes – not sure. My amygdala told me to get out of the car immediately, without turning and sliding much in the car.

I opened the door, and put my foot down. I am 5 feet 11 inches and from that Maruti 800, my foot touches the ground immediately. But this time it went further down for 6 to 8 inches more — but it touched and I slowly came out.

From full lights on my eyes to opening the door was hardly 10 seconds time in which I said hello to Yamadhiraj.

I sat on the road and waited.

After 15 minutes, one sumo came but didn’t stop. I could see a family sleeping. One truck came but didn’t stop– the truck’s speed was so slow that I ran to his driver’s side trying to tell the driver, but the driver continued.  Probably it was motion (mosum in their language) – once stopped on a steep gradient, it will require double power to move.

I sat once again on the road– eerie silence of the jungle was the only companion.

Another sumo came after 10 minutes. The number 09 indicated RTO passing– Kolhapur, I was happy. Sumo stopped. I peeked inside, all gents.  I told them through the window.

And VOILA.

They were galvanised.

We Indians are unpredictable. Sometimes we are least enthusiastic about important subjects and sometimes we are overenthusiastic about simple things.

This time the reason for enthusiasm was probably the alcohol level in their blood (they had left Goa just 30 minutes before) was still high.

Out of the eight youths that came down from the car, two were not mentally and physically fit to walk.

They asked me “Where is the car?”

Then I realized that only the car’s top was visible. I took them towards the car.

One of them hugged me with his unstable gait and with an alcoholic smell thanked God for saving me (I had already thanked god 1000 times in a few minutes).

Only their driver was in the grip of situation.  He took out a rope and tied each of the ends to their Sumo and my Maruti. I stood near the front door of Maruti to push back (it was not possible to push from the front bonnet end obviously). Two people stood near the rear doors, the rest did a fantastic job (?) of giving instructions and cheering…

The driver shouted, the sumo engine roared and we pushed.

And my Maruti was back on road.

I thanked them profusely.

Those who were sleeping in the car were awake now.

I thanked them too.

A Stone—roughly two feet by one foot—unevenly shaped- was near the edge of the valley.

Dust, fungus, grass-were accumulated over millions of years. These layers were forcibly removed by the underbelly of my Maruti. The original black color of that rock was visible now– its Heart. I bowed down to that black stone which was there for probably millions of years since the the formation of earth, just to scratch the underbelly of my car and to stop it from going whirling down into the valley. I thanked God, the Creator of everything, the creator of that stone.

4 am. 40 minutes lost.

Car’s face was towards Pargad, the fort. I drank water. I saw the underbelly with a torch– there was no leakage of any liquid. I put the key in the ignition—the engine started immediately. The odometer was showing 24 kms out of 90.

I thought of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Har Har Mahadeo!

Pargad fort was given to the son of Tanaji Malusare who laid his life for Swarajya. Descendants of Tanaji still live on this fort.

Jai Bhavani!

I put my foot on the accelerator.

This is the story of one of the moments when I faced death.