I would not call my life as a bed of roses, but it has been a life of comfort and happiness. I have had a normal childhood and I am blessed with loving parents and 2 amazing siblings. I’m not complaining, but I’ve always wanted a jaw-dropping, awe-striking story to tell. At least, such an event would create the ‘adventure’ part of my otherwise typically normal life story.
It all happened on 28 January 2007. We were traveling back to Chennai after attending one of my closest friends, Nisha’s wedding in Coimbatore. We were on the Cheran express that night. Shobana aunty n I were in S7, while Ajai and his family were in S6. Two of Nisha’s friends were in the same compartment as I was in too. In normal circumstances, trains do travel at high speeds during the nights and this train was no exception (for the time being). By around 3am, I woke up to loud sounds and extremely strong tremors. Before going to sleep, I’d hung my specs on the collar of my t-shirt. Waking up to these horrible sounds, I involuntarily yet quickly reached for my specs. I could make out bright red streaks of lights flashing past us. The train was moving at such a high speed, yet it felt like I was in the middle of an earthquake. People started waking up and calling out to God in their native tongues. I was scared and all I could utter was ‘oh God,oh God…’.
Within minutes, the compartment started tilting onto its left. In my mind’s eye, I thought we were falling off a bridge. Being a person who cannot stand pain in the slightest form, I prayed, “Lord, if this is my end, please finish it soon cos I want it quick and painless!!”
I was in the middle berth and Shobana aunty was in the lower one. As the compartment titled, I clung onto the berth straps and held on for dear life. Like they say, as you near death, your life’s memories flash past your eyes. To me it was a blurred worn out film roll. My mind conjured up only 5 names- my parents, my brother, my sister and Ajai. I really thought this was my end and this was how I would die – in a train crash.
Belying my thoughts, the boogie fell onto its left side and everything came to a standstill. The lights were cut off and there was smoke and dust everywhere. Men, women and children were crying out for help. I crawled down from my berth and felt jagged rocks and stones under my sock-covered feet. I could make out faint lights flashing around the place and I realized people were using their cell phones to find their way out. I searched for mine in my pocket where I’d kept before sleeping. It wasn’t there. I lost my cell phone. I called out to Shobana aunty. Groping around in the dark, we found each other. It was chaos all around. Yet in the midst of it all, aunty n I prayed and thanked God for this experience and for saving our lives.
We sat on the now upside down turned berths. The dust and smoke was increasing and being a slightly asthmatic person, I found it extremely hard to breathe. I held my bed sheet I had with me to my nose and breathed as much as possible. But my chest was constricting by the minute. Aunty asked for someone to show her a little of the cell phone from a stranger and she found her suitcase. I wondered that if she could do it, why couldn’t I. So I groped around and lo, behold, I felt the handle of my trolley bag. Aunty repeated the same stunt and found her slippers, the exact pair. I followed suit and by God’s grace, found my Reebok floaters.
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