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Monday, September 1, 2014

Escapades


I am sure most of us would have encountered some hair raising moments in their lives! Once the incident is over with a happy ending, we tend to forget it for some time till we go through yet another incident, which gets stamped in the memory. They are reminder of some funny, comical, and some adventurous situations. I share a few of such instances.
We had to traverse 60 km through the night from Jamnagar to Khambaliya on foot as a part of exercise. Armed with rucksacks, rifles and some tinned ration we split into groups of five and started the journey. The boots, anklets and the heavy rucksacks made the journey a tough one! Around midnight, we had covered almost half the distance and the legs protested loudly now! So I along with rest of my mates sprawled in the middle of the road as we did not want a slithering reptile in the sandy area to bite! It felt better than a cushioned bed for a while. A few minutes had barely passed when we noticed the headlights appear in the distance. We quickly scrambled back to our feet and waved at the truck! The driver looked at us and told us to board the truck which was loaded till top. What a relief! The truck began to roll through the night. Our happiness was short lived as the uniform started to get wet and we felt as if we are about to freeze! The stench was also unbearable. We asked the driver to stop and asked what he was carrying as we got down!

‘Fish’ he replied and we were relaxing on ice blocks! Gosh! No wonder we were freezing!

There was hilarious situation when I was asked to jump off a Whaler (boat) in the sea in backwaters in Kerala and a lifebuoy was hurled at me! Gasping for breath, I tugged it close to my chest. Next a rope was tied to it and I was towed for a distance of about one kilometer. It was meant to be a demonstration for survival at sea!

As if this was not enough on the same sailing trip during the night at Bolgatty Island, near Kochi, I stepped on moss in dark and skidded to land with a thud in sea! I was gasping for breath as the world around me darkened. I frantically tried to bring my head up; my hand touched the rope by which the boat was tethered to shore! I was pulled out of the murky water with help and had to sleep for the rest of the night in same wet clothes , as I was not carrying any change!

Once on a trip to Stockholm, I was residing at Kista a suburb on the outskirts of the city. I got up early  and decided to go for a jog. It was freezing cold outside and the sky was still dark! There was not a soul in sight and after running for a short while I was gasping for breath and felt as if I would freeze. So I decided to walk and crossed over the road towards the wooded area. After trudging through the sheet of snow for about 15 minutes I looked back and realized that the pathway had disappeared. I looked around but could not find anything that could guide me in the right direction as the stillness was overwhelming.  The more I tried to retrace my steps the more I realized that I was getting lost! About an hour elapsed when I was seized with the fear that will I ever return back!! One more time, I tried and walked in a direction that my hunch told me may be the right one! About 15 minutes of walk brought me to the edge of the road where I could see some lights! I was almost 3 km away from where I had started. I thanked god for finally bringing me back!


It is a long list and am sure you readers too would have had similar instances to share!

PS- Image Kind courtesy Google

37 comments:

  1. hmmm...I never had some instances in my life.
    Now that makes me sad!

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    1. You will accumulate enough tales to tell Red:) Thanks for reading!

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  2. Even reading about your adventures was so exciting!

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    1. Thank you, Purba and it is always heartening to know that what I wrote could generate some excitement:)

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  3. Lovely when we have happy endings like this, Rahulji.
    What appears as dead-end, then has solution & later is fun to read like your post now :)

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    1. Thanks Anita ! When we look book after such events there is always a feeling of satisfaction!

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  4. Loved all the daredevil tales. I can't recall any such in my own life.

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    1. Thanks Rachna! Hope you keep enjoying the regular life with all its pleasantries:)

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  5. :) nice incidents and as you mentioned once it is over we tend to forget them but the ordeal we go through as they are happening is so REAL :)

    I have a had a few share of such incidents and now that i htink they make me smile

    Bikram's

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    1. Very true, Bikram! Those moments are scary sometimes but when you look back, there is a feeling of gratification!

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  6. Woah..you have many adventures up your sleeves..:D sad enough I havnt yet had any such thrilling experience...
    P.s the incident of ice slabs was really a funny one..:P

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    1. Ha ha , Monica that was a sweet comment! Yes, have plenty of more tales to tell, but too many may not provide the excitement:)

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  7. Haha...enjoyed reading every word of ur post! If i look back there r numerous such instances in life...I remember having locked the house with the key inside at my sister's place in Mhow. We discovered it only when v returned from a late night party and had to spend the rest of the night in the car till jiju got someone to break the lock in the morning!

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    1. A big thanks Shaivi for such a nice comment and also your own incident was very interesting! I am sure you wont forget your night out:)

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  8. So many great adventures! You describe the Swedish winter so well... ;-)

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    1. Thanks Lady Fi! I am happy that you could relate to the cold morning in Sweden well:)

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  9. Sir, didn't you get some fish stench? I can smell fish from a kilometer, even fishy too :P

    Other incidents are scary for me. I am scared of water but getting lost on a freezing day, that excites me. I love cold. Once Alok told me to get down at a place. He thought mall was at a walking distance but it was not. I had no money, no cell and I walked many miles to the mall asking from directions from one to two people I found on that deserted US highway. I bet, they thought I am a lost junkie.

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    1. Saru, honestly, the fish stench comes for miles, but then at midnight and with leaden legs only some relief was needed. So we climbed on top of the truck covered with tarpaulin and only when water from ice seeped we realized it was fishy:) Your own experience reminds me of going around at Wakefield in Boston in a similar manner and am sure the few passers by on road thought there is a looney out there:)

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  10. I have to laugh!:-)
    I have many of them and every time I think "Never again"!

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    1. Thanks Tanya! Yes every time I wish it does not happen again:)

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  11. I have only had one or two such experiences. Reading about your experiences makes one feel pumped up, Rahul ji.

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    1. Thank you KK! Do write about your experiences too! It would be nice to read!

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  12. Thanks Ashwini for enjoying the read! You have had exciting moments like giving a TED talk and your marathon too:) With this inspiration I will write some more stories , after a while!

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  13. Exciting experiences enrich our lives, great read! I had a near death experience that made me introspect my whole life in a jiffy!

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  14. Wow! It must be thrilling. Just reading about it is so exciting.

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  15. I always envy you your adventures, Rahul. But this fishy (smelly) adventure I will give a miss :)

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    1. Thanks Rachna that you liked, minus the fishy business:)

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  16. I really enjoyed reading this post. Nicely written.
    I think I've told you this before -- I love hearing stories from your service days. :)

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    1. I am tempted to write about days in service in the Navy, as I have readers like you who enjoy the narrative:) A big thanks Divya!

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  17. I enjoyed your adventures. I had some experiences like that. I rode a small fishing boat in the storm and the boat was like a leaf between waves.
    Have a nice weekend!

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    1. Thanks Sarah! Your experience was fascinating too! Have a great weekend!

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  18. I can't tell you how much I missed reading your anecdotes :)
    good to be back !!

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    1. Welcome back Jyoti! This blog space missed your absence! Thanks for the lovely comment:)

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