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

Discussion in 'Saturdays with Varalotti' started by varalotti, Nov 1, 2008.

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  1. Nov 2, 2008 #11
    Oviya

    Oviya Silver IL'ite

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    My dear SriPa,

    It is so nice to know that all was fine in the end. As you said, a few thousand rupees definitely is nothing compared to what could have happened. The choice is very clear if you were to choose between the boy's life and a few thousand rupees. It was indeed a great escape. I thank HER.

    All of us encounter accidents in some form or the other. Tragic to not-so-tragic. Each gives us a lesson and betters our understanding of the world. That is, if we happen to be alive after that.

    This reminds me of an accident my DH was involved in. Well, he was my friend then, not my DH. He and one of his friends went to a nearby village to visit a common friend. They had gone there on a motor bike (Yamaha). While returning, they had a cup of tea mid-way in a roadside tea-stall and switched places.

    My DH took the pillion while his friend took to drive. They were talking and laughing all the way. It was a small road, flanked by paddy fields on both sides. There was a lorry going in front of them blocking their view. They realised that it was not safe to follow it, so tried to overtake it a couple of times. But they could not as the road was too curvy and as I said, too narrow.

    So, they were following the lorry a little closely looking for the next opportunity to overtake. They were at about 60KPH. The lorry driver spotted a snake on the road. The poor snake was trying to cross the road to reach the paddy field on the other side. And you know how superstitious our lorry drivers are. He came to an absolute stop, suddenly.

    My friends (My future DH and his friend), who were closely following the lorry could not react as swiftly, as they were talking and driving. My DH warned him from the pillion, holding it very tight. Because he knew that in the case of bike accidents it is the pillion rider who is most likely to die since there is the biggest probability of his head hitting the road first. They did not have helmets.

    His friend's head hit the planks that make the back door(!) of the lorry. My DH kept his eyes open till the last minute. His glass hit the iron plate that connected those planks. His spectacle broke into pieces. some glass pieces flew into his right eye. He was bleeding from his eye. His friend was on the road unconscious with a pool of blood on his face and on the road. He called out his name. He did not respond.

    The villagers rushed to the spot. They took my DH into a house and he did not know what happened to his friend. He could not see very clearly as his right eye was bleeding and the left eye is the weaker eye. He called his home from a local phone.

    He kept asking the villagers what happened to his friend. "He is fine" was all the reply he got. He was very nervous.

    Within an hour his family came to the spot. He was taken into a car. There he saw his friend, sitting. His friend told him, "I lost one of my teeth!". My DH shouted at him, "Poda, dei! Uyir irukku illa?"

    They both were bed-ridden for about a month. His friend's jaw had been fractured. so, he was wired and a straw was thrust into the gap caused by the lost tooth. He was on liquid diet for a whole month...

    My DH's condition was a little worse. They found five pieces of glass from inside his eye. One had pierced right in the center of the pupil. All the pieces were removed. His vision is fine now. The doctor said, "It could have been worse! You must be really good.Else God would not have saved you from a near disaster!"

    Well, it could have been worse in your case also. This goes to prove that you must be really good. SHE saved you!

    I liked Preethi's analysis of the situation. Very true words! Your Diwali gift!

    Love,
    Your dear DD.
     
    Last edited: Nov 2, 2008
    Oviya, Nov 2, 2008
    Oviya, Nov 2, 2008
    #11
  2. Nov 2, 2008 #12
    Vidya24

    Vidya24 Gold IL'ite

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    Sridhar,

    An interesting and more than that, an inspirational piece!

    It is impressive that you kept your cool not just in the heat of the moment, but also in the heat of the bills. Rs 16,000 is a high amount regardless of whether one can afford it or not, it can always be spent better than on auto issues. The crux here is not whether you could afford the Rs 16,000, it is that you made the choice that you can emotionally afford it.

    I am grateful that She delivered you and family from a few disasters(physical and psychological) that day. It is a personal relief, and in a universal context; everytime a baby is born and a death is averted- She reminds us that she still has hope for Mankind and She still has hope for the individual respectively.



    I am not sure where I read what I write next, most probably in this forum itself. In KaliYuga, there is no distinction between heaven and hell, between Devas and Asura. The two extra worlds are compressed on Planet Earth, just as the so-called 'good and Godly' qualities of the Devas, and the 'bad and beastly' qualities of the Asuras are all compressed into humans, into their genes. Which is why even the evil can be redeemed. There is no absolute Good or Evil (with capital cases).

    A good man once consoled me, 'there are no good people or bad people in black and white terms.There are only people- some good people with bad qualities, and some bad people with good qualities'. True to that, we humans, have a touch of divinity and a streak of banality in all of us. And the traits come out in various situations as we want them to, as we choose to mould ourselves into. Sadly, often times we seek to interpret situations as we want to, in immediate terms, in means that serve our selfish gains, and not in the wider context, set in the historical context.

    Which means that the beast in us rears its ugly head more often than the Good.

    I should be the last to preach since I am the least perfect of God's creations. I have tinges (bold,black tinges) of jealousy, anger, avarice, malice and holding grudges in me. Just as I know, that I also have some thin streaks of better virtues embedded in me. But, instead of working on the good virtues and strengthening them, I flippantly say, 'oh, I acted harshly, unjustly. I am far from perfect, I know, I know'!! And my 'friends' laugh along, while some protest that I am just perfect. If I had spent half that time and energy working on my God given goodness (scarce as it is), I would have become a female Buddha by now.

    Sadly, I, as a represesntative of most humans like me, dont do that.

    Preethi's advice is profound. In these days of Kanda Shashti, 'Thagappan Sami' manifests Himself to us through the mouths of babes.

    We all have a latent, dormant good gene in us. From Buddha to Sobhraj, all had that. Buddha, Gandhi and Mandela polished it to a Chintamani while Sobhraj,Hitler and Stalin dulled it to a pebble. We are all beings of free- will, we can do with the good gene as we choose to do with it.

    I am now reading,'India's Unending Journey' by Mark Tully where he talks of contemporary religious interpretations in India. He quotes Oscar Wilde writing of humility being 'hidden away in his nature' (quite like the 'good gene'), but now being:

    ---- the last thing left in me and the best: the ultimate discovery at which I have arrived, the starting point for frash development.---- As I found it, I want to keep it' (Wilde as quoted by Tully)

    Let the good gene be the last thing left in ALL of us, our ultimate discovery, our base for building a better human character and universe. And as we have finally found it, let us keep it, let us want to keep it.

    Sincerely
    Vidya
     
    Vidya24, Nov 2, 2008
    Vidya24, Nov 2, 2008
    #12
  3. Nov 2, 2008 #13
    paanzaa

    paanzaa Gold IL'ite

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    I gave rich experience in driving both two and 4 wheelers. I have driven in the worst kind of roads and the best one too, starting from the day I started working...What I can tell u is the impish eagerness with each drive on the two wheeler and the caution with which an owner drives his car. We standing statues,in the middle of the road,like the man trying to cross when there is rush after the signal turns green..In US there is a button allowing the pedestrian to cross over,on the signal post. When you press it,the signal turns red,allowing the walker to cross the zebra. Here Crossing is like the cassandra"s..allover and anytime.

    Whether you like it or not..Madurai riders always tend to overtake you on the left, and accumulate in the signals on to the right,a big gap always. And drive on the middle of the road. One should see the chaos on the Guru theatre stretch,Kuruvikaran salai, and with omniprsent 3 wheelers-pick-up trishaws and the autorickshaws...Maduraila vandi ootina enga venalum vandi ottalam-my humble finding.


     
    paanzaa, Nov 2, 2008
    paanzaa, Nov 2, 2008
    #13
  4. Nov 2, 2008 #14
    varalotti

    varalotti IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Indhu,

    That speaks volumes of how much you have suffered with my road rage. I am not saying, as they say in the movies and serials, "From now on I won't have any road rage." To be honest my dear wife, that is not in my hands. Road rage or anger is an ugly manifestation of my ego. And to declare that I have controlled that with my ego will only make it uglier still. It's in HER hands.

    Though I have been writing for donkeys years I don't have the words to describe my relief when I saw that the person was not injured. May be filled with that kind of serenity, I didn't show my true nature.

    I am sorry I should have told you earlier. I have been thinking on her words since then. When even I have a good gene deep down, it only means every one of us, (no exception whatsoever) has all our good genes deep down. But many times we act not from our depths but from the mere surface where bad genes are concentrated. That's why our acts and words are mean and selfish.
    On that fateful day, seeing that person uninjured I was filled with so much of peace that mind started to act from the depths of my heart. That explains my calm behaviour absolutely contradictory with my usual self.
    I now suspect all these meditation, prayer and penance is about trying to act from one's depths. Great saints like Buddha, Ramana and all always act from the depths of their being.
    If only we know how to act from the depth, if only we know, how not act from our surface, well, then every one of us will be good. And this earth will be heaven.

    thanks for the fb, Indhu.
    love,
    sridhar
     
    varalotti, Nov 2, 2008
    varalotti, Nov 2, 2008
    #14
  5. Nov 2, 2008 #15
    varalotti

    varalotti IL Hall of Fame

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    Oh my dear bas,

    I could never thank this concern and love adequately. Well, I could have told about it earlier. I did not have the mind to tell anybody. I told my parents only much later when the garage-man came to pick up the car. I am not here to give you any 'sakku pokku'
    But as a general rule I never want to share "unprocessed incidents". I have been thinking about this incident since the time it happened and when I got some clarity about its purpose and its place in my life, yes, I am here now to tell the whole world about it.
    Did you see my wife's fb? I didn't even tell about my daughter's words to her.
    Only now I could understand those words. See my reply to Indhu.

    Still I am not sure whether it is a compliment. Thinking about it I still feel all of us have only good genes in our depths. All our bad elements are dancing only at the surface. Since this is an universal law I don't think I can take credit for having some thing good deep down. It's like boasting "You see, I have an ego." as if nobody else has it.

    Thalaikku vandhathu thalapaayoda pochu. This proverb interestingly has its origins in Mahabaratha. When Karnan aims the Nagasthra against Arjuna Krisnha presses the chariot with his toe with so much force that the chariot goes down the ground by 1 foot. The missile aimed at Arjuna's head instead hits his crown and destroys it away. If Krishna is there for us, whatever missiles our enemies aim at our head will just touch our head gear. Hence the proverb.

    As a mother do you think that one child can be a little more special than the other? I can be called as a special child, in the sense, I need more attention from HER. To make me a good man SHE has to strain harder. I am special only in that way.
    Thanks for the soothing, loving post bas.
    love,
    sridhar
     
    varalotti, Nov 2, 2008
    varalotti, Nov 2, 2008
    #15
  6. Nov 2, 2008 #16
    varalotti

    varalotti IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Chithra,

    Thanks for those loving lines which I think are borne more out of affection and love you have for me than anything else. I have not switched over to Religious book from short stories and serials. In fact I wrote the religious book way back in 2006 and it saw the light of the day only now. In a way you are right. For compared to HE, there was a greater dose of love and religion in ALS.

    Surprisingly I was not angry at that man. Given my nature I should have pounced upon him and should have torn his shirt. I didn't do that. I was just looking at him. There were no thoughts in my mind. There was neither a blessing nor a curse. Whatever I wrote about him in the post was something I thought much later.

    I know you are wise enough to write something like that. Though in the present instance you borrowed the words of Deepak Chopra.
    I have never stopped thanking God after the incident. May be the incident was a Guru sent to me by my Lord to reform me. SHE has made a good attempt at reformation. But will the effect last long? Well, time alone can answer.
    Thanks for visiting this thread and thanks for the fb.
    love,
    sridhar

     
    varalotti, Nov 2, 2008
    varalotti, Nov 2, 2008
    #16
  7. Nov 2, 2008 #17
    varalotti

    varalotti IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Devika Mol,
    I am sorry I skipped your post while replying. I am now using a new laptop at home and am yet to get used to the speed and the volatality of the mouse. Hence the error. Apologies, anyway.

    You are right about Indhu suffering more than me if anything were to go wrong. And yes she is surely more blessed.

    You are right again about the role played by this small accident. Ever since it happened I have been constantly thinking about it and its after-effects. It's a great blow to my phenomenal road rage. Whether the blow is fatal, I don't know. Now every time I drive I have this incident in mind. That prevented me from bursting out more than two times after the incident.

    I too was surprised by Preethi's words. Ever since she has gone to work at a place away from ours, she has developed a perspective. I have started respecting her more now and I am now surprised to find that she too is respecting me more. Whenever she is here we go for long backrides to discuss everything under the sun. I never thought she would make a statement like this. That gave a greter jolt for me than the impact of the two-wheeler on my car.

    We accountants are quite fussy about which head a particular expense is to be charged. With all my experience in accounting I would charge my net co-payment on insurance (a little over Rs.5000) to Tuition Fees Account for that was really the price of a valuable learning.

    Thanks for being there, Mol and thanks for your fb.
    love,
    sridhar
     
    varalotti, Nov 2, 2008
    varalotti, Nov 2, 2008
    #17
  8. Nov 2, 2008 #18
    varalotti

    varalotti IL Hall of Fame

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    My Dear DD,
    Thanks for the concern, DD. You are right. Between the boy's life and all the money I have, I would have chosen only the former. Let alone the hassles of court case, police station and all.. if something had happened to him, I would have been guilty for so long as I live. In that sense it was a great escape.
    It was chilling to read about the accident your DH had. It does not require the Doctor to say that your DH was good. Your DH should have been very good. Otherwise he could not have won the hands of my daughter, right?

    I too had a similar accident way back in 1985. We didn't have a car by then. We were visiting the surrounding towns and villages in my Rajdoot motorcycle. One day I was driving down to Singampunari a town about 55 kms from Madurai on the Madurai-Madras highway.
    I still remember the day - 20th May 1985. It was a Monday. My sister was to be married on Wednesday the 22nd May.

    I was going in the left extreme of the road. When suddenly a State Transport bus coming in the opposite direction overtook a lorry and was fully on my side of the road. There was virtually no place for me. I was trembling in fear. My sister came to my mind. If something had happened her life would have been shattered.
    There was a dry pond to my left. Without even blinking I drove the bike right into the pond. It was some 20 feet deeper from the road level. Fortunately the path was smooth and I did not fall down.
    I did not even switch off the engine. When I saw the bus passing by, I them climbed up to the road and continued my journey.

    You are right. And it was the most precious Diwali gift.

    Thanks for being there, DD.
    Love,
    Your SriPa

     
    varalotti, Nov 2, 2008
    varalotti, Nov 2, 2008
    #18
  9. Nov 2, 2008 #19
    sundarusha

    sundarusha Gold IL'ite

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    Dear Sridhar

    Thank HER that all went well and everyone is ok. Sometimes, SHE send incidents that become learning experiences for molding us to become finer humans.
    Preethi's words apply for all of us to venture into sorting through our genes and develop on the good ones.
     
    sundarusha, Nov 2, 2008
    sundarusha, Nov 2, 2008
    #19
  10. Nov 2, 2008 #20
    varalotti

    varalotti IL Hall of Fame

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    Vidya,

    Thanks.

    You are right about the emotional affordability. But though the total cost was much more the damage to me ultimately was Rs. 5000 plus only.

    Thanks for the kind words. You are right. She still has hope not only for the mankind but even for someone like me.


    I am not sure whether I wrote it or whether it came somewhere in ALS. But whatever it is your expression is quite nice. Hats off to you.

    You are right about it. But even to interpret a situation we need HER grace. Only when SHE blesses us with the intelligence to understand a situation in its proper context can we make the right interpretation.
    The beast in us cannot be slain by our ego. Only Mahishasuramardhini should do it.

    No comments as I am worse than that.

    A nice expression. Thanks.

    Words profound enough to constitute an award-winning leader post. Thanks for using it in this thread.

    Sincerely,
    sridhar
     
    varalotti, Nov 2, 2008
    varalotti, Nov 2, 2008
    #20
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