rather, encounters... another bored afternoon seeking blogs. this is interesting. I love how he calls father! everytime.



http://creative.sulekha.com/encounter-with-death_633661_blog





Bankim Tola
 
     
 
              More often than not, some people take interest in sharing their experiences of life either dreadful or joyful with family, friends and others. In this respect, I am not an exception. I had done so on several occasions in the past. That which I had been doing verbally so long, now would like to ventilate some of those unprecedented, unexpected thrilling and painful happenings of life through this blog for a leisurely reading of respected blogger-friends and esteemed readers if they like. Perhaps that will make me feel, those striking incidents are not vanished unknown for good.
           We all know that death is inevitable, and this Is the ultimate truth in human life. With this conviction, we seldom think of it and carry on with our day to day struggle for existence. But sometimes such situations or such conditions come when we feel the tremor of impending death even if it does not terminate our existence at that moment. How dangerous, how painful the situation or the condition would have been and how helpless we would have felt at that moment and what was our instant reaction at sudden occurrence of such incident, are some of the intriguing questions to be pondered over.

1.                 In early sixties when I was in Govt. service, I was entrusted with a stupendous task of motivating Adivasis of very remote villages sprawled in forest and hilly areas of Odisha state to adopt a new development scheme launched by the Govt. for alleviating their economic condition so that they remain engaged in doing some productive activities instead of wandering about for the whole day in forest hunting for prey or cutting wood for living. I was a bachelor then and so, I had no problem in moving around the anterior parts of Adivasi belt to interact with these people for pursuing my motivation drive. My Assistants who were recruited by the Govt. from that Adivasi belt for helping me in this project were my sole accompaniments. One day, on my instruction they arranged a meeting in some village in the evening and led me there. As there was no motorable road, we had to go to the village by our bicycles through bushy jungles. As the meeting was well attended and response of the people was encouraging I continued it upto 9 P.M.
   
   
   

               The distance between the meeting spot and my rest shed where I was putting up for the night was about two kilometers. It was pitch dark that night and I had no torch with me. One of my Assistants who was a well-built young man and courageous, emboldened me to proceed with our bicycle under that starry night. Thus, both of us came out confidently without least fear of reptiles and wild beasts roaming in the forest through which we had to pass. On the way there came a small spring where my Assistant asked me to stop and cross the spring on foot by getting down from the cycle. I did so but suddenly I heard some sound as if a beast is chuckling water from the spring. Then we tried to know what that sound was. My assistant showed me an incredible sight which was my first live experience in life. I saw a large bear drinking water in the spring flowing on our way just about 10 meters away from where we were standing. At this we controlled ourselves from making any sound and stood a little away from the lane as if inert and dead. Luckily the bear slowly walked into the forest in a reverse direction after drinking water. Then we walked out of that spot with much trepidation silently and then sped fast to reach our destination. Had we proceeded carelessly without looking for the sound we would have been caught by the wild bear and finished. My assistant told me that the bears like to eat liver of men and for that they tear open the man’s chest into two halves with their sharp long nails and eat liver and suck blood. He said that in his village during last one year one old man and one boy were killed by bears in this manner as they found their bodies lying in the forest mutilated.
           But the danger of our return journey did not end there. Hardly we had cycled about one kilometer from the that spot where we encountered with wild bear, I felt as if some soft thing touched my nose while cycling. Instantly I asked my assistant who was following me to look for what I felt at that spot inside the dense forest. With his telescopic eyes he detected and showed me the tail of a large snake which was climbing on to a tree with tail hanging down. I was so frightened that out of fear I called out, “father save me”. Great God! We reached our rest shed safe. That night I could not sleep well and prayed to God for His mercy that saved us from impending death.  
2.        Long ago, might be in early seventies, one of my intimate friends requested me to train him driving a four-wheeler. On his ardent request I took him in my jeep to an abandoned site near the township where we were staying, for a test drive. While driving I explained to him the driving techniques. On the way there came a small brooklet. On seeing it what wrong indication came to my mind I did not know but suddenly by slowing down the jeep I asked him to come closer to the driver’s seat and press the brake liver hard and hold the steering tight so that it stops for a while and I could get down to make the passage clear by putting a stone on the flowing water to level. He did what I said and I got down. But while getting down my pant stuck to one side of jeep and I fell down. Suddenly out of fear he exclaimed and loosened the brake lever. As a result, the wheels glided on to the brooklet and one of the rear wheels rolled on my head and one arm. By the force and weight of the jeep my head was pressed hard into the ground and the muscles of my arm was cut and bled. Luckily the soil where my head was pressed was dumpy, so my head dipped 3” into the soil and there was no injury. Out of pain I called out “O mother, O father I am gone.” My friend was undone and nervous. He took me to a nearby dispensary for first aid until I was referred to a doctor for necessary treatment. It took me about fifteen days to come-round. God is great to save me from inevitable death.
3.       One evening at about 7 P.M. I was returning to my residence by my motor bike from a distant market. On the way I had to drive on a National High way for about two kilometers to reach my house. That night was a no moon day, so nothing was visible in darkness except continuous focus of head lights of vehicles passing on the High Way which was a double lane road but no one way at that time. While I was driving my bike, suddenly I was blinded by the head light of a truck coming from the opposite direction and I was struck hard on my forehead and thrown out of motor cycle to a distance of 10 meters and lay unconscious on the road side for a while until I came to senses. When I got up and sat on the ground I saw that my bike was lying on the road, my helmet is thrown apart into the drain beside and my legs, hand were bleeding badly. Out of pain and fear I trembled and called out “Father, father”. I found that one man perhaps the owner of bullock cart against which I dashed on the Highway was wiping out blood from my face and arm. Before he asked me questions I requested him to pull the motor bike from the road to a side so that it was not crushed by speeding vehicles. He did so instantly and I told him to take me to one of my known persons of the near by village who had a saw mill beside the road just near the spot of my accident. With his help I came to my friend’s place and on seeing me in this condition he took all care for my treatment in a nearby hospital and then he left me at my residence. He also lifted the motor cycle and deposited in a garage for repair.
           I thanked the bullock cart owner for his kind help on the spot where I was lying abandoned. The fellow told us that I was lucky to be alive, because, none in the past hitting the rear bar of cart from behind had been alive. Either the bar had pierced into the chest or crushed head hitting the bar from behind. Great God! I had helmet on my head and I was saved but the helmet was badly damaged. This was my third escape from sure death.  
               From the above incident/accidents I learnt several lessons and one among them was most vital which I noted with utmost care for rest of my life. The lesson that I refer to, emanates from my instant reaction on unexpected happenings like such untoward incidents as I had encountered. In every incident/accident my first reaction had been calling out for father or mother out of danger or extreme pain for help. But being a disciple of the great enlightened sage, Sri Sri Swami Swarupananda Paramahansa Dev who advised all his followers including me to take shelter under Mahanama, the holy name of God initiated by  him in every action we do, in every situation we face, in every step we take in life so that the course of life becomes easy and smooth, I forgot to invoke His grace at incidence of these horrible accidents, on the contrary as an imprudent ordinary man being blinded by material world and bound by illusive attachments, relied on seeking help of my father or mother who could have never come to my help under any circumstances. Like me many people in distress call for help of their near and dear ones and others around them without reminding God even for a while. God is always with us but we poor fellows cannot conceive of His subtler presence and run after others and also the visible objects for help in distress. God is very clever. He does not respond until total surrender is made. Lord Krishna was very much there with all and specially with Pandavas but Draupadi relied on her husbands, Grand father, Kuru Samrat, Dhritarastra and other courtiers present in Raj Sabha where Dusashan was trying to undress her under instruction from Duryodhana, to save her from his savage attempt of humiliating her. Only when she realized that all whom she begged for help are dumb and worthless, she raised her hands to seek His help and she was saved respectfully. This teaching is very much there before us but we forget it at the right time and grope in the dark for help. In fact, I have experienced many positive response from super natural power in my bad days when I surrendered unto Him. His Grace is infinite and eternal.

The fellow told us that I was lucky to be alive, because, none in the past hitting the rear bar of cart from behind had been alive. Either the bar had pierced into the chest or crushed head hitting the bar from behind. Great God! I had helmet on my head and I was saved but the helmet was badly damaged.

Casual statements like this has always boggled my mind about India and Indians, especially villagers.

Dude. Even if one person died from bars of the cart that's one too many. It's not safe for you, your bulls, and others for you to be out on a highway after dark. And if you have to be out, then carry some light or reflector. And more importantly, DON'T keep bars or sharp objects hanging out of your cart w/o adequate safety/warning. What am I even saying. Frigging keep carts out of highways!