Rescue Raft S-26/7

I am writing it at a very short notice. Perhaps this reason is the reason itself which is making me to pen it down in such a short time. I don’t want the proudness of some kind hinder with the facts and all the more with the truth about this incident. Also I have been writing my blog since almost 8 years now, and for the first and probably the only time I would be making and exception about the one and only rule of my blogs i.e.”No Names”.

And I feel this write-up is apt to take into the account this exception. And also for the first time entire event and names mentioned in this are 100% true.

A planned trip to kolad a small town just 150 km from navi-mumbai is were  white water rafting is allowed in a 12 km section of Kundalika river.

Our small group consisted of Tushar Ghag, Manish Pawar, Harish Barode, Mita Akali, Srishti Bhatt, Anandita Aggrawal, Suyog kadam and myself (Ignatius Lewis) all working in the same company and that was the only thing similar amongst us until this date (26-07-15).

Honestly there was very little that I knew about adventure sports specially River Rafting. Amongst all of us Anandita was the only person not doing it for the first time. Once going through a crash course in River rafting our trainer Pradeep quickly took our raft into the river. The seating arrangement in the raft requires the two strongest persons sitting on the either side of the Rafts front section. Myself and Suyog took the front section, followed by Mita and Sristhi, Anandita and Tushar and at the end Manish and Harish.

The one basic rule of river rafting requires that if the entire team did the paddling in sync it would require the least individual energy. So to get our paddling in synch we all agreed to paddle on the call of ‘check’. Hence whenever the trainer should forward one of two front guys would shout ‘check’…. ‘check’…. ‘check’… until the all were in synch. And by the time we crossed the first rapid we were already being applauded by other rafts trainer regarding our paddling.

This was the team work and trust that helped us in the toughest rapids kundalika had to offer. ‘Johnny Walker’ is said to be the toughest Rapids in Kundalika river. Highly unpredictable and certainly unforgiving if mistakes are committed will going through it. By the time we reached ‘Johnny Walker’ we had already overtaken at least 5 other rafts ahead of us. we managed to easily get through with this Rapid with our paddling and balance.

But not all rafts and rafters were as lucky as us. As we stood on the slower side of the rapid and accident happened with one of the rafts that we had overtaken. Due to high current in river and some misbalance 3 rafters of the same raft were thrown out into the high speed and very dangerous rapid. Of which one managed to cling on to the same boats safety rope. The other too somehow luckily manage to get out of the rapid unhurt. But the third victim was not that lucky. She feel and got stuck in the rapid.

Our raft along with two other waited on the side so that we could see how it looks from the other side. And there this incident happened right in front of our eyes.

“oh shit she fell” Mita shouted.

“who pathar pe phasi hui hai” Sristhi added.

 “uske aage whirlpool hai she will not manage to get out” Anandita shouted as she had previously did rafting in kundalika.

And after that all I could hear was a large shout by Pradeep saying “forward fast”….. “forward fast” and that was the last sound that I remember hearing. I started to paddle and the raft started to move faster and faster, that to against the stream. I could only see one thing in my eyes. It was the girls stuck there. I briefly looked to my left side while paddling furiously only to see Suyog paddling equivalently and that too in synch even in such a panicking situation. Even more surprising was when I turned back for a sec everyone was paddling in same flow. And I realized we are the best chance for the girl to stay alive. Within few seconds we were easily 4-5 meters ahead from other rafts approaching her location. Paddling in the stream is anyways tough but paddling against the stream is much tougher. But together we all did it and that too at the right moment.

Before we could reach her location the girl again slipped and was swept away into the rapid. We were still not within the arm’s length. I don’t know about the others but I certainly realized that the flow of water is stronger than our paddling speed and we would surely missed her.

I just somehow knew if I bend halfway out in front of the raft and extend my paddle we could still manage to get her safely and with suyog alongside me even if I slipped he would manage to hold on to me. Without a second thought I leaned halfway out of the raft extending my paddle through my left hand keeping my right hand as a back-up in case she misses or slips out again.

 During the entire thing I totally forgot that while rescuing that girl from the rapid our raft had landed right in the middle of it. but somehow it was stable and suyog and me were able to focus on the girl. We didn’t even realize the rest of the guys were paddling their guts out not only to take the raft upstream but was also struggling to keeps us out of that deadly rapid trap.

Somehow the survival instinct clicked with the girl and with a shivering and nervous hand she manage to held on the paddle. As soon as she had a decent grip on the paddle I started to pull her close to the raft. Suyog by now too had his paddle extended out in case she slips again. By the time she was within the arms reach we were in the middle of ‘Johnny Walker’ again.

I also knew that until and unless we manage held on to some part of her body we cannot be sure of her safety. Because her grip might slip since she is in a fearful and panicked state but our wont.

the rescue crew tushar, suyog, harish, anandita, srishti, mita, manish and myself in the back

I again leaned out a little with my right hand extending out. And although she did extended her palms I still went ahead to hold her from wrist. Once held securely the flow pushed her towards the raft and within no time suyog grabbed her life-jacket from the shoulder and pulled her right out of the water. 

Even though the girl was now back on board, instead of 1 now 9 lives were in danger. We were to still get out of that Rapid. And now with trainer in front rather than back it was getting tougher.

She was terrified to even stand on her own feet’s and sit in the middle of the rafter. Her being in the front section now not only jeopardised her life but ours as well. I again grabbed her from under her arms and pulled a shivering Palak into the second section of the raft in middle of Srishti and Mita.

By this time suyog took his position back in the front section as we still needed to get out.

once on board we tried to calm her down
to make her feel a bit lighter we even tried flirting with her.I
 asked her "what is your name"
she stammeringly replied "palak" suyog replied "ansu toh nai gira lekin?"

on which mita replied "ro ro k nadi banadi hai puri"

even after hearing this she was still a bit nervous . so i leaned in front of her and said
 "ghabra maat, agar tu dobara pani me giri, toh mai dobara tujhe bachane k liye pani me kuduga."
on which everyone laughed and the nervousness vanished.
 

As soon as she was on board Pardeep our trainer jumped from the back of the raft to the front and screamed 
“REVERSE Double” …. “REVERSE Double”. We could hear the sound of cheers and claps I the background and yet everyone paddled furiously to get the boat some speed so that it goes through 

‘Jonny Walker’ all over again without tilting.

Mita and Sristi consoled the girl. While guys kept paddling furiously until we were out of ‘Johnny Walker’. 
 while anaddita kept paddling whilst shouting asking the guys to lift palak upside down to make her vomit out excess water that she might have taken in.
Another rapid quickly followed ‘Johnny walker’ and only after crossing it we took a sigh of ease. Everyone did not only our team but also the other rafts that watched us rescuing Palak.
what was more surprising that her original Raft didn't even wait for her. we could only catch up with them at least 2 km downstream. 

We never realized what we did until we were back to our normal selves. If you ask me, at that moment when we say the girl slipped from the second rock and into the rapid we even if the trainer would have said no we still would have went ahead. We knew our team had very good co-ordination many time better than the other rafts in her vicinity. And none of even felt the “What if??” fear of being pulled inside rapid. From that point onwards every raft that went past us applauded our efforts. They started to called us “The Rescue Raft”

I don’t know whether what we did was bravery or not, but whatever we did we did it together. A little quick thinking, a little co-ordination, a little self and group responsibility, a little selflessness, a little confidence and loads of team work and pure hard-core brute strength. But more than that sometimes the right amount of leadership, motivation and humanity is all it takes to feel brave. I am very sure that if anyone of us didn’t assume responsibilities both as an individual as well as towards the assigned task, the story either could have had a bad ending or even tragic.

With our combined efforts, team work and mutually assumed responsibility we managed to save Palak.  Neither we had her second name nor do we have visible proof of this incident because while other groups were busy getting selfies we were trying to save a life.

Why am I writing it is the last obvious question?

So that I could remember that there is good inside me, that there is a leader, a team player, a human, selflessness and responsibility in me. Perhaps a feeling which in itself is a life long motivation for me. And I am sure I speak for everyone included in this write-up. We could have done nothing without each other.

Hero’s are not born, they are made. And you guys are my hero.  
Excellent job everyone. I am proud to have known you.

That pinch of salt in curry !!

It was supposed to be my last meeting with her. It wasn’t that i was going to border or something but that was the general feeling my mind had perceived. Neither was i willing to think of this situation in any other way because even though it was just a perception of my mind deep down in my heart i knew that it was very close to reality. I meet her at Kanjurmarg station and although its a slow train station the place is always busting with people. Probably the station wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for IIT Bombay. 

And it is the closest connecting station to Powai. I saw Powai 5 years back when i came to Mumbai for the first time on my own, and had dreamt of living in hiranandani complex since then.  She was a colleague of mine at my first job. I don’t quiet remember how we manage to stay in touch with each other once both of us left that job. But somehow we did held on to that string, which at time was as thin as thread.

Being from a Punjabi family the only apt way for me to give her a farewell was by hosting a dinner for her, and it was for this purpose that we were heading in an auto back to my rented 14^th floor apartment overlooking my office which was just a walking distance away.

“So this is why you get time to cook?” she asked.

“Oh come on!! Cut that weird American accent one me... i know how crappy your English is.”

“Achaa!!... then you need to find a better excuse for avoiding this question”. She replied

“I am not avoiding anything, and what would you do now even if I did tell you?” I said.

I noticed a small hint of disappointment and her smile shrinking.

“but yes... this... this whole set-up.. this everything you see around me allowed me. And it is not a big deal.” I replied

 

“to live i need to eat... and to eat i have to make...whatever i can” i added

“you really need to work on your emotions young man” she replied and laughed.

“and you can laugh all you want when you will miss this home food out there” i said

I never realised her importance in my life all the time when she was around. Some might say that i did acknowledge this fact but couldn’t convey it. Some might even say that i didn’t convey it because of day such like this. But if you ask me i did convey it sometimes. Although it was tough initially but with practise and few more attempts it did came out the way i wanted it to come out.

But somehow between my chase and her running things just faded out. There was no specific reason, there were just these two things. One pulling me and other pushing me, both in different directions. and then one day she asked me “What am i in your life?”. And i had no answer. In that push and pull i guess i was lost.

“my god you do know how to cut onions.” She said leaning against the kitchen door as if teasing me.

“i hate backseat chefs....but i might make an exception for you, coz i don’t get many guests here.”

“really??... i might not like you making an exception for me.” She replied

 I understood the sarcastic tone in that sentence.

“I wouldn’t  say that if i were in your place, Especially now that you would be flying to America in a few weeks time with that crappy accent of your” I said so to dilute the situation with a wipe of fun.

“FYI it’s not America it Canada... waterloo, Ontario Canada my friend, and i bet your cooking wouldn’t be any better than my accent.”

“Then why dont you help me with the salt in fish curry for starting?” I asked her with an open jar of salt in one hand and spoon on the other. And instantly she knew that I had lost the argument then and there. She added a pinch of it in the curry and somehow it tasted.

“Perfect!!!... Now get out of that stupid apron and lets eat... I am hungry” she ordered.

                                  -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.--.-.-.-.-.-

“Mr Lewis, you do cook better that my expectations” she said after taking a few bits of fish curry on dining table.

“Yeah?? don’t like it too much, I know you are going to miss it in ONTARIO CANADA....hahaha” i laughed.

“Itna bhi miss nahi karugi....” i again sensed a hint of sarcasm in her voice. I just couldn’t understand why.

She helped me wash the dishes with a promise that in turn i would help her get a Taxi. But this sarcasm of her kept poking my mind.

“You know once you had asked me ‘what were you in my life?’ Sometime back..” I asked her while we waited for a taxi.

“Yes and I also remember there was nothing that you said back then” she replied.

“Because I didn’t knew it back then”. I answered.

“So do you know it now?” she again asked with an attitude in her stance and sarcasm in her voice.

“Yes” I replied.

“And what is that?” she asked with a blade of sarcasm which i felt she had perfected since last time.

I answered “that pinch of salt in curry”.

Remembering that you are to be Forgotten....

A walk towards shadow.

Ek arsa ho gaya tujhe mohalla chode,

Aur hum kha-ma-kha zamane se rushwahiyat nibhate reh gaye.

(readers discretion advised)

I don’t know whether it’s the right title to what I am willing to write here, but it is just something that I had to do. Not because I hadn't posted anything here for a while, nor because it feels like ages that I hadn’t written anything deep down from my heart but because something had happened that triggered this idea. In the frenzy of my book and my super cramped up life i had almost forgotten the reason why I initially started falling in love with writing.

It is said when you are able to explain everything in words it’s time for you should have a very high level of discretion in you writing. Here another attempt by me to write something without any discretion in thoughts but in words.

“Its has been a long time, it’s not like that everything has remained the same, but even if I did say so it would be a lie. In a way a lot has changed and in a way I am still trying to change a lot. Not only around me but within me as well. If I say I had forgotten you it would be a lie flat on my face but yes I have become habitual of not remembering you. There is no way in which I could ever wipe you out but keeping you in my mind has now become more of an estranged memory. I have tested your memories against the flow of time, and to be honest they haven’t decided to let go of me. There is no possible reason for me to look back to see myself in you. I also don’t want to stare back at what you where in me. Because there would be a bunch of lies and some of them are the ones that even I don’t want to accept.

I know there would be a hell lot of people not happy about me writing this and posting it but they are people and their views are up to their discretion. I don’t want to be arrogant with this also but there are few things that you should not do. And then there are some that you just can’t stop yourself from doing it. This is one of those things.

Its is not that I miss you but even though I trying so hard to forget you either there is something in me that isn’t allowing me to forget you or there was something that you have left behind in me that is not permitting to forget you. But i am very sure that it’s not love, but something way beyond that. You already knew what i mean with that. But this time it’s neither about love or nor about memories.

I remember how I realise that i love you. If I say that it wasn’t planned would be a lie as well. Because trying to manage a movie on a working Tuesday is next to impossible. But that the beauty of surprises. It is something in which I became an expert with you being around.

In an empty multiplex theatre watching ‘Rockstar’ I saw you sobbing in tears after watching Jordan meeting a sick ‘heer’ in a Prague. You see that vulnerable and fragile look in her eyes indicating her surrender and you although equally vulnerable within tries to put up a stronger self up front. She hopes that it’s in your hug is where she is safe, where as you want your hug to be strong as well as comfortable enough so that she could sleeps in them without a second thought.

And once you gave your soft delicate hands in mine I was sure to hold them as long as i could.

But why now? Why are these things coming back? Coming back into my mind. We promised each other to walk back without turning back. So why is it that i felt like tracing your footprints on the shadows of sands dunes? Why is it that even without the faintest of idea about how I am going to end it I am still kept writing it? People say you don’t look back because it’s not the way you are going.

Because something had happened, to a friend of mine, in her family. The biggest loss is the loss of life. Especially when you know that person so well that really takes more than once effort to convince you of it. I don’t know how to exactly frame it to you but it’s not about it.

It’s about one of those feeling that you get when you see a person in distress and think of the people that you care then. It not about love, or compassion, or old time sake wishes. But it’s about caring. I know  very little of you, I know that you are strong, i know that you want to be tough, I also know that you want to be ignorant about it as well as if you don’t care anymore.

I also wish that I could give you back what you expect from me with this behaviour of yours, but my conscious just doesn’t permits it. A friend of mine lost her relative but to my surprise you were the first person to come in my mind out of worry and care.

Strange na.....

I know a lot of my friends wouldn’t like me this posting here, some might kick me, swear me and some wouldn’t give a damn about it. Its isn’t that i am walking back, its just that i want to know that from the point when we decided to walk without turning back you just lost me and no one else since. I had made a promise to stand with you in your bad times if not in good once. Because i know very few people stand with you in your tough times. I had made a promise to be one for you. Not to do anything or to say anything or to understanding anything..... but just being there.

Just making one soul into two and just being there.... thats it.

Sometimes just being there is all that matters. I don’t wish to be amongst those many people who have that one soul whom they hate. A soul that was once a part of them.

There is no super high expectation that has driven me to write this but i guess its that something that is left in me by you that is fuelling me to say this question.

How are you? I just hope and wish and pray that your family is alright. Especially your mom and dad.”

I had promised not to give-up, and I am still living by that promise in every walk of life. It is this promise that is making me to ask you to get in touch with her with only the above said question. Without a single word less if not more.

 I hope all my friends would forgive me just this once because this walk back to present is not for a stupid reason.

Buzdil nahi hai hum, jo piche mudh ke dekhe...

Hausla chahiye saaye ki zimmedari banne ka...

A Holi..... I Wish

“Train kitne baje hai?”

Her sweet cattish loud voice echoed in this relatively quiet cafe outlet. The cafe was fairly filled with customers some were even foreigners. I was never a fan of such places, probably more because it made me feel suffocating and it forces you to control your voice decibels. This was a habit I was never able to adapt to as most of my hangouts were chai tappirs and roadside stalls back in Nagpur. And i being a Nagpurian just could handle this controlled and Hippocratic environment.

Especially if you are sitting and talking in a place like Starbucks it was like breathing without oxygen. As simple as chocking out and dying was what i felt in such places a reason why i didn’t like to visit such places. But she was habitual to such conditions maybe because she had more experience about such places than me. She once told me that she lived in Mumbai as long as she remembered, and was the only reason why i did eventually come to such places and waste my time and money. But i really found it worth sometimes.

“What?” I said as she threw crushed tissue paper at me to interrupt my memory.

 “Aree... Train kab hai tumhari?” she again shouted.

“It’s at 9:50 pm tonight from Panvel”. I hurriedly replied trying to get back to my memories while playing with my mocha coffee trying to look busy.

I was pushed back to past with her question. I recall the last time when a girl had asked this question to me. It was a long time back and I never thought something as silly as this could trigger anything.

Woh koi aur thi...and she almost had a mental break-down after this. All the more because that time too my answer was very similar to this. She busted into tears and was uncontrollably sobbing in the middle of a coffee house. I can’t tell you how embarrassing it was. It made me look like a villain at an Indian coffee House outlet in Sadar Nagpur. It is one of the oldest coffee houses in Nagpur. A place were senior citizens and intellectually sound people would gather, talk and discuss on all the unimportant issue to that didn’t affect them in anyway. And in the middle of their discussion they heard a girls crying and a funny guy sitting in front of her did manage to turn a few head towards us. I was been looked to as crime master Gogo type convict by them.

It was one of those weird situations when a certain company call you to join in 3 days and you are so messed up getting the documentation done that you forget everything else. More so if you are waiting for an opportunity, as a matter of fact any opportunity to get a job.

This was such moment and in excitement and frenzy during which I forgot to tell her.

“You are leaving tonight and you are telling me now??” she said.

I could barely understand what she was trying to say.

“See either you talk or you cry, you sound like an ape when you do it together” I said and her cries grew a bit louder. I tried to control my laughter and barely managed to do so.

“Now you sound like a older ape” I said but by the end of it just couldn’t control my laughter anymore. Both our voices were just loud enough to again turn a few head towards us.

“You always make fun of me” she said wiping her nose.

“Yaa especially when you cry... hai na?” i said

“Hmm” she replied.

“Do you mean I bully you always?” I asked.

“You never tell me anything and you always bully me and make me cry” she said and again started another round of crying.

“Aree meri maa....cry slowly...pitwayegi kya aaj mujhe” and again laughed.

This was the last time I had seen her. After that I never got a chance to get back to Nagpur. I don’t remember much of that conversation. Someone rightly said ‘if you knew a meeting would be your last you would surely remember it for a long time’

.........................

Suddenly this forgotten bit of conversation that reminded me how funny i was at times brought an unexpected laughter on my face. Now I was again fired up with this question. The face was different even attitude and nature was different.

But now the unwanted attention we were receiving was not because of our voice but because of our because of our appearance, we were all clobbered up in colour and the spirit of holi was shouting out of us out loud.

“Does that coffee looks funny to you?” the present lady asked me. It was really amazing how these Mumbai girls behave. Sometimes they behave like most graceful and well cultured lady even while standing at a ticket queue and sometimes they make a lavish Starbucks cafe ambience look like their living room.

She asked this question with her eyes popping out of her bluish, greenish and pinkish face.

“Not as funny as we are looking right now”. I replied and we both giggled out.

After a few steers to my coffee i said “after a very very long time someone has asked me this question, kisi ladki ne ... ki train kitne baje ki hai?”

“Why? I shouldn’t have asked this question or what?” she asked

“The more important question now is should we be here right now ....like this” I said with a naughty accent.

Following to which she leaned forward on the small coffee table on which we sat facing each other and said

“Husne ke gamm ko rang me na chuppa, Nigahon ke rang hal-eh-dil bayan kar denge...

Gunah jhoot ka humse kar loge but khuda-eh-mirror ko kya explaination doge???”

She banged the table as she completed it like a professional.

“What the hell was that? You totally ruined it? Shit yarr that pathetic....is that the best you can do?” I replied.

“Ok Mr. Expert beat it if you can” she leaned back on the chair as if she tossed a challenge to me. Suddenly something my mind recalled. Something that I had said last time in a similar situation, something that I had somehow forgotten, something that when I uttered filled the listener to whom it was intended with faith and happiness and stopped her from crying making her believe that all thing do eventually come back in your life. I know what the lady sitting in front of me now was trying to do but it just didn’t clicked.

I took me sometime to remember the exact words but I did eventually recall it.

 I copied her build up and leaned forward on the table and while maintaining a straight eye contact said. Something I had said long time back to a crying girl.

“Meri nigahon se khud ko dekh fakir,

Feheristh-eh-dua me tu he sarparast hai.”

 I ended up facing a stunned girl.... Again.

It’s rightly said sometime all it takes is a sentence and sometimes even a life time is less to convince your love.

Hope this Holi fulfills all your dreams and wishes. And do wish me Happy Birthday on 12th.
feedback and suggestion are welcomed.