A Day From The Past - 2

26th January 2001 8:46 AM

It was Republic Day... A holiday... As all holidays I was sleeping peacefully with kitchen sounds in my background and I feel  my bed moving,  I think it is my mom trying to wake me up and I beg her to sleep for a few more minutes. Then I hear my Mom shouting...........

"Beta Bhag Bhukamp."(Run Son its an Earthquake)

90 seconds... 90 seconds it lasted... And in those 90 seconds around 19000 people died.. 167000 people injured... 400000 people homeless.. Estimated loss of $5 billion.... Its funny how such little time can bring dramatic changes in the life of so many people.. I was in Ahmedabad so the devastation was comparatively lesser then the near by City of Bhuj... But I still saw certain things which are unsettling.. I have seen people losing homes... relatives... I didn't realize this then but I do now...

So when this earthquake struck.. my Mom asked me to run... I ran from our 2nd floor apartment...Somewhat sleepy somewhat terrified somewhat confused... I didn't really understand what was happening around me... I couldn't run straight I couldn't my eyes open and a little scared... While running I saw bikes falling a tree uprooting all this was very weird to my brain.. The adrenaline was pumping now and I was running scared to turn around and look back... Only once I stopped I realized that The quake had too and I see around... Nobody they all had stopped running long back...

Only after it stopped and I didn't see anyone... My first thought as any child would have was of my parents where are they? I see them looking for me anxiously, they call me back... "There they are" I say to myself... Its the thing with parents you will always find them when you need them no matter how far you are... That's it the worse was over for me.. On the way back I meet a friend and we are both laughing at the turn of events and how exciting it was and what were we doing when it happened and retelling the whole story..

For the 11 year old me that was the world my parents and friends and school (which I had no news of and later came to know took some damage and we were moved to a different branch)... I came to about the severity of the event when I saw people gathered around our car trying to get some news on the radio.. Only All India Radio was functioning all FM stations were out... Funny how we criticize the govt and only govt stuff works in such situations...  Serious expression on every adult's face... Scared and serious face...

Only once the power was back on we saw what has happened around the state... Fallen building... Dead people... Injured people... Seeing all this was a first time and it was disgusting... I couldn't watch it... But there was something in this time that brought people together... Everyone stood by each other no matter the differences... People were willing to help.. We had collected food and clothes by going from house to house which came up to 3 truck loads and it was sent to Bhuj where people were more effected.. It was something in the times that make people generous giving.. Don't know if it is the fear of death that makes them like that or the fear of God after Death.. But whatever it was it worked.. People were back to work schools were up.. Shelter homes were empty very quickly... It brought a feeling of being one and facing the issues... Yes the state has had its share of communal tension but this was not the time and that was everyone's thought..

A cloud with a silver lining is still a cloud... So yes I get scared every time I hear about such news anywhere in the world... The scenes are not pretty... the effects of people's lives are not easily mended...But as Shahrukh Khan's famous dialogue goes.. "Haso jiyo muskurao... Kya pata Kal ho na ho"..

Fake Citizen