I woke up irritated; perturbed and sweaty. It was almost 8 AM and my mother did not wake me up today. The air conditioner was switched off and so was the ceiling fan. Surprisingly, my father was already awake. I wondered why my cell did not make the familiar noise in the morning, though I clearly remembered setting up the alarm for 6 AM the previous night! I was running really late for office. Sleepily I found my way to the almirah, got hold of my toothbrush and continued to the wash basin in the same state. The house was filled with an eerier silence. Even our servant was missing! The fact that I could not find anyone home aggravated my annoyance.
I proceeded through the familiar walls of the bathroom and my own room. I got ready without conviction. There was no one to serve me breakfast. I was getting angrier by the minute! To add to my misery, I managed to hit the computer table with my foot, hurting it real bad. And while I was tending to my hurt foot, the phone started ringing in the drawing room. And it kept ringing, waiting to be picked! Where was everybody?
It was almost the time to leave for office. My frustration knew no bounds when I didn’t find my packed lunch. It was strange as I knew that my mother would never forget that. Disheartened, I proceeded out of the house. It didn’t look like any regular mornings outside! It rather seemed that the sun was in its way to set. But, how could it be? I just woke up in the morning. Didn’t I? Things were getting weirder by the minute!
I would have started my car and left, but it was stuck between 2 cars that were parked bumper to bumper. In fact there were cars almost everywhere. The scene was a familiar one. Often people park their cars haphazardly to attend discourses at the nearby satsang bhavan. Realizing that no one was coming to my rescue, I started toward the satsang bhavan cursing the drivers. I resolved to confront the irresponsible owners. I wanted to give them a piece of my mind.
Just as I was about to enter the hall, I heard a lady’s soothing voice emphasizing that a soul changes bodies like a person changes clothes. I had heard this many times before. Interestingly, I saw many familiar faces inside. I could see many of my next door neighbors while I walked to the center of the hall. I concentrated on the lady in white, positioned on a slightly elevated stage, sitting in padmasana and speaking into a microphone right before her. I knew her from somewhere, but where? It wasn’t tough to guess that this was someone’s remembrance, looking at so many people dressed in white. Surprisingly, no one seemed to notice me! Though, I usually attract a lot of attention.
I continued towards the center, so that I could ask someone to announce the car number and end my torment. But, then I saw my servant standing at one corner behind a table, serving water! What the hell was he doing here? I noticed my best friend standing next to the table. Now, this did not make any sense. And just when I thought that I had seen it all, I saw my little brother walking towards the table, picking a glass of water and merging back into the crowd. Though he looked in my direction, somehow he completely ignored my distant presence! I was completely zapped to find him there. My gaze followed him into the crowd. The recipient of the glass was my mother! My brain was on fire! Was I missing something? My heart beat rose to a thousand times. I looked around for my father and was relieved to find him sitting near a table with a large framed picture of someone. The photograph was partially hidden because of a garland and partially because of the burning incense. I also noticed that the hall was filled with almost all my relatives, cousins and friends. This was just too much for me to handle. It was clear that someone close to us had passed away. But, who? How could I have been sleeping through all of it? The WHY(s) and the HOW(s) drove me mad. I forgot all my anger, frustrations from the time that I woke. Mustering all the courage I could, I decided to face my parents, bracing myself to hear the bad news. And while I furthered towards my father, everyone continued to pay attention to the discourse, oblivious of my presence. Why was I being ignored? My pace slowed and my heart beat quickened while I neared the large portrait. My heart practically leapt out of my throat recognizing the face. I felt strong nausea and my legs gave way. I am not exaggerating, but how would you react if you realized that you were dead! Here I was standing in the middle of a hall, completely ignored by my near and dear ones, watching my own garlanded portrait, hearing my own remembrance. And the handsome devil in the picture gazed right into my eyes, smiling; almost a mischievous grin. 27 and gone! Just like that! Finito! The End! Kaput!
The entire thing was way beyond my comprehension. And suddenly a series of images started materializing right before my eyes:
I am driving my car, on the way to a cousin’s house. I am humming along the CD playing on the car stereo, visibly excited about meeting my siblings. But, my expressions change. I somehow feel that the car is not moving swiftly. I suspect a flat tyre. I immediately reduce the speed and park the car behind a stationary truck. While getting out of the car, I observe that there are no street lights and save for the headlights, its pitch black. I inspect all the wheels and am relieved to find that there are no punctured tyres. I see myself mindlessly thinking about something on the road. It’s the same road that leads to my office. It’s been many days since I visited it last. I also observe a bike approaching fast from the other side, facing my back. The rider does not seem to notice me on the street. I realize that there is something wrong with the trajectory of the bike and try to warn myself. I almost shout watching the approaching bike, but my scream dies inside my throat. The bike rams into my right half. The biker somehow manages to balance himself and skids to a halt a few meters ahead. But, the collision sends me flying into the stationary truck. I bang my head and chest into the truck almost simultaneously. The impact is so strong that I turn around and manage to hit the back of my head with the truck’s sharp edge. It slashes into my scalp and I end up flat on the asphalt road. I watch myself helplessly, unable to react.
The biker is now off his bike and is parking it at the road side. I watch myself stumble to my feet, ready to hurl abuses at the irresponsible driver, but I collapse on the road as soon as I try to get up. I feel no pain, rather a blissful numbness. It’s strange, but true. I watch myself reaching for my neck. I feel warmth of a liquid, flowing down my back. Maybe I am sweating profusely. I realize that thick viscous liquid is my blood! And then the shock starts settling in. I feel autistic! My brain stays alert, but my body refuses to follow orders. I try to reach for my cell phone. But, I can’t seem to find it. I remember that it’s comfortably resting on my computer table at home. This is not the first time that I am not carrying it. But, I really should have, this particular night. I watch myself, reeling under shock, lying listlessly on the road. And just when I feel that the hope is gone, the biker comes to my rescue. He lifts me up and covers my head with his handkerchief in order to arrest the bleeding. I stumble to my feet and soon find myself teleported at the emergency ward of a hospital. I remember the hospital’s facade. It’s in absolute proximity with my office and I have been here many times before. The biker asks me if I want to call any relative. I try to concentrate to remember my cousin’s number. Surprisingly, I am alert enough to spell it out. I call him and inform him of the situation and insist on not informing my parents.
The scene changes quickly. I am being taken in for surgery. My cousin is by my side and the biker is gone. The doctor asks me if I am allergic to any medicines. And though I am allergic to an antibiotic, I have no strength left to cough up the same. The doctor readies a shot and informs me that it would feel like peg of scotch, taken neat. I welcome anything that would knock me completely out of my senses. I already have had enough for one night. I feel the warm and fuzzy sensation of the liquid seeping into my veins and poof!!! I drift into a world of dreamless sleep.
The images finally stopped flashing. I was still standing in the hall and certainly didn’t remember dying! The attendees were starting to disperse. I walked to my mother and spoke to her. She said something, but it was illegible. And then there was a shrill sound. I felt myself being sucked almost at the speed of light into my house, back in the bed where I slept last night. I was finally awake; alive and thank God for that! It was sound of the alarm that brought me back from the grip of that horrible nightmare. I saw my mother and father lying next to me, still asleep. I had the bandage on my head, covering it almost entirely. My head pained like hell and my body felt 80 years old. I tried to remember the events after the accident.
I woke up after almost 12 hrs in the hospital. The large gash was closed and it took 14 stitches to do that. The first thing that I asked for was water, lots of it. And the next thing I enquired about was my car. My cousin was still there. My parents had thankfully not been informed. I was discharged almost immediately as the doctors declared me fit to travel. We found my car on the way back home. Once everyone came to know about the incident, my phone wouldn’t stop ringing. And I enjoyed all the attention. Relatives and friends, distant and near, kept enquiring about my well being. Some sympathized while others fussed. They showered love and care; some called me an idiot for joining office within a day after the incident. And I smiled through all of it.
It’s been few days now and I have returned back to living my life just like before. I feel reborn and I mean it in the literal sense. The very thought of being deserted on the road that night fills me with dread! I could have passed out with all the blood loss and the consequences could have been disastrous. But, as they say, it wasn’t my time. I learnt a few lessons though. I have started taking life less for granted. I have started appreciating things much more than before. I wonder if I needed this jolt to get things back into perspective. I got my second chance and honestly, it wasn’t that bad an experience as things have turned out to be just fine. So, I am living my life, the same plain old way.
But, this time there’s a slight difference.
This time, I’m loving it.
