I Had a Miraculous Escape On the Diwali Day – But From What?

The one and only Kamla has endorsed my “penchant” for catchy titles. Others were more straightforward.

“When are you going to stop your marketing gimmicks?”

They have told me on my face, not once, but a million times. But GFs, have you ever noticed that none of the ILites has ever commented on the inappropriateness of the title, after reading my post?

Ok, let me be frank and brutally so. I did have a miraculous escape. And that too on the Diwali day.

It was one more instance when SHE wanted to make me realise that SHE is showering all HER love on me and that SHE did not care to check whether I deserve that or not. Now read on.

Road rage as a disease is much more common among men than even diabetes or prostrate cancer. I wish that all men (and some women too) should under go a three-year degree course on Anger Management before they are certified fit for marriage.

One full semester in that course is to be dedicated to Road Rage.

It’s a pleasant evening. You are going with your husband in your brand new Toyota Camry on a beautiful road. There is not much of traffic. Your husband is on the wheel.

His face is as serene as that of the Buddha. Suddenly a car overtakes your car on the wrong side. Your DH is now trembling in rage. He does not even bother to get the shutters down.

His BP has shot up. His pulse rate is 30% higher. He showers choicest abuses on the errant driver not minding the fact that not even a word of what he spoke would reach him. And that’s a mild form of road rage.

Yours truly is no different from other men. Though I am not a short-tempered person (nor am I so “long-tempered” but would prefer to call me “average-tempered” if such terms could be coined to express my state perfectly) my road rage is phenomenal.

My DW has seen me shouting at the errant drivers of two-wheelers, auto-rickshaws and bicycles. True to her soft nature she wont even speak a word while I am shouting and tiring myself with impotent anger. But not my DD.

She would shout back at me, “Dad, there is no point in your shouting from inside an airconditioned car. The offender can never hear you, even if he wants to. And mom and I can’t escape hearing you.

And that gives a sort of “car-rage” for me. So if not for the sake of that idiot, at least for the sake of your daughter, will you please shut up?”

 

And so it happened on the Diwali day. My wife, daughter and I were returning home after visiting my in-laws.

There was virtually no traffic on the road and our drive was smooth and eventless till we reached the road junction near the IOC Office and Pandyan Hotel. (The place is now called the IOC Circle).

As I was going straight on the Gokhale Road, a two-wheeler came from the side and hit our car. There was a huge sound and I could see the rider falling down. I had gone a few feet further.

I then stopped the car and ran to the spot. I thought that the fellow should have been killed or grievously injured by the impact.

Once that happens then it means that I will have to spend the rest of my life visiting the Court, Police Station and the Insurance company.

In our place the unwritten law (which is very strongly enforced) is that whenever there is an accident the person with a costlier vehicle is always at fault.

If a motorcycle and a bicycle collide the motorcyclewallah is at fault. If a lorry and a car collide the lorry is at fault. I was sure that the law would be applied in my case as well.

Something strange was happening inside me. Even if somebody had as much as scratched my vehicle I would have pounced on him. If somebody had jumped the traffic signal especially if he is from the opposite side I would have torn him into pieces with my words.

But this idiot did not notice my long, big car and had virtually drove his bike into my car. I ought to have slapped him on his face.

And the fool was adding insult to injury. “I thought you would turn right. Why did you go straight?”

My logical brain shouted at him, “You crazy buggar, if I want to turn right, I would have indicated it with my trafficator lights. How the hell did you presume that I would turn?

"Don’t you know the basic traffic rule that a vehicle is presumed to go straight unless otherwise indicated? Are you generally like this or are you drunk or are you observing your Special Ignorance Day, today?”

But I did not open my mouth at all. I did not even see the damage to my vehicle as I was afraid that it might flare me up.

I was just looking at him with a smile on my face. My daughter was looking at me with unmistakable astonishment.

I was now into the waiting game. I would lose the game if I shouted or tried to move away.

The time was 9 30 AM. I was prepared to wait till evening if necessary. A few minutes later I found out that there was a pillion rider in the bike. He was also a young man, the same age as that of the driver. He had also fallen down but like his companion had got up uninjured.

Finally he talked to me, “Sir, you may go. You are not at fault.”

I slowly walked to the car, started it and drove home without a word. I thanked my Lord for the Deliverance, not from the life-threatening accident but from the killing road rage which would have wrought more havoc on my psyche than the bike did to my car’s body.

Why was I not my real self? Because I shuddered to think that if something had happened to him, I would have been ruined in more ways than one. When SHE saved me from that disaster the least I owe to her was not to show my anger to another son of HERs.

I was not angry even when my garage called me up later next day to tell me that the cost of fixing the damage would be over Rs.11000 and that I may have to cough up Rs. 5000 over and above the insurance claim. I just remembered HER kindness and thanked her once again.

The highlight of the incident was what my daughter told me the next day when we went on a bike-ride. I will never for my life forget what she said.
“Dad, you have a good gene somewhere deep inside your heart. Just don’t try to suppress it. You will soon become a good person which you already profess to be.”

I now remembered the bike-rider who hit my car with love and affection. But for his idiocy I would not have been fortunate to get this kind of a conduct certificate from my only daughter.

 

Dear Kamla,
thanks for being the first to respond. When I started ALS you came on the very first scene and thus ensured its success.
I was concerned to know about the accidents you were in.

That shows your attitude to life. With this attitude not only you will be happy but will make others around you happy.

I was overhearing this conversation between two of my friends. One was extolling the virtues of the new BMW vehicle just launched. He invited the other friend to see some "exclusive" pictures he had downloaded from the Net. To which the first friend replied, 'What's that by the way? Sheet metal in some other form. I am not interested.'

We have many such people in India. But in the US I see Americans being crazy over cars. Especially the Indian Americans. Your words therefore speak a lot about your values.

Yes that was HER miracle. More than that my daughter talking like that is a greater miracle for which I am even more indebted to her.
Thanks once again for coming in.
love,
sridhar

 

Oh my dear, dear DD,
SHE will never let us down. Thanks for the concern. Looking forward to your detailed fb.
love,
sridhar