Tuesday, November 14, 2006

"Khopoli Experience"

Today's fortune: You will take a chance in something in the near future

:))
You know what?
This fortune could very well be my EVERYDAY fortune!


:D

I never leave any chance ...

especially after that incident when i was almost killed in a near fatal accident that could have been my life's:








"THE END"






I knew that I would die in few seconds..
and deep down I knew for sure that I only had these few seconds to live my life!



:)

It was life altering experience!



Life, My friend is a big thing....


but indeed .. my life is never the same again.


It was rainy season with lush green forest, dark coulds,

and fresh smell of rain, mud and trees!


Amazing!
My girl friend (of that time, bless her,who is now married to some nice guy for good, bless him too.) and me had planned a secret date at Khopoli

(Khopoli is a train station in between Mumbai and Pune cities)


She was coming from mumbai via train,
and I was coming from pune on my motorbike.

The last stop of the mumbai's local train for her to come
and an amazing bike ride for me from pune!
Thats why we had selected Khopoli in between these two cities.

I was going to khopoli for the first time.

And I was on my brother's powerful bike.
The grace and the roar with which it was cruising at high speed on the high way
is a thrill in itself!!!

Several milestones flew past me like fallen leaves with the wind... smoothly.


It was in deed amazing to travel in such environment..


Sun was playing hide and seek with the clouds.


Some of these clouds flew very low on this day, fog
and of course intermedent rain made the journey even more mystical and magical.


Lovely breeze always is a great companion anywhere!

:)
At many scenic points I parked this cool machine and clicked photos of the natural wonders.

The lovely forest and an equally road in it full of turns which I noticed in the valley..

it all looked so graceful!


I hoped that some day I will go on those roads too!


Only time can tell .. when I would actually go on those roads...

Any ways after this quick 2 min photo session..

I jumped back on the motorbike..

kick started it and continued the journey..


As I neared Khopoli,

I asked the way to railway station, some one told me to keep on going straight....

And thats exactly what I did.



I went straight .. and in excitement to meet my beloved

...I probably over did!

I kept on driving..

.. and I was climbing up the very hills I had decended from ..

although through another way.


Uphill driving with this power bike was enchanting!


I sped past the trucks and heavy vehicles as if they were stationary!

And suddenly I realized that I had traveled too far
and thus decided to ask some one just to confirm.


After all, it was a totally new road to me!...


Just as expected, when I asked a labourer who was working
on the road repairs, for the directions ...
Well, while looking at beauty of nature and admiring it contently..
I had long past left station behind!



I had to take an 'U' (about) turn and it was a steep ...

very steep slope.

and dodging those few trucks,

I easily managed to turn my bike on that road.

I started driving down hill again ... tracing my way back..

It was exhilarating to enjoy such good speed on this magic machine

while I was looking at the beautiful trees in the forests,

which I could see over the top before I had started to drive down hill on the first road.


and again i was lost in nature...


( its very enchanting area.. especially in those particular days!)

To my right there was mountain in which this road was carved...

(The awaited time came too soon...
It was the same road which I had seen from the top,
while clicking the photo and hoped to travel on it one fine day!
I had not expected that day would be today itself!)


To my left there was lush green valley...

amazingly beautiful deep valley

(yes.. ofcourse.. the same valley! Its a lovely forest ! Really)


And here I was going with full speed down hill....


heart beating faster....and all smiling ...


not just because of the speed and this marvellous environment...


but also that eagerness as well as longing to meet my girlfriend...


( we used to meet once in blue moon!.. or rather.. once in two blue moons! hehehehe)


the air rushing through my hair... oh.. i love it....

it felt very similar to the way she brushed my hair with her fingers....


I was totally rejoicing this experience...

blissfully unaware that this was a one way street!!!

and I am going full speed, in the WRONG direction!!


and there there were....

two jeeps speeding uphill overtaking one another!!!

they covered the entire tar road!
Entire road !


No space for me to pass through!

Now pause for a moment and imagine this...

On our right side we have a big mountain....
cant go there... All rocks!

On our left side we have a valley ..
can go there either ... it would be an amazing, free fall!
Ahead of us we have two black monstrous jeeps...
coming right infront of us... faster and faster!


Yes.. and we are still going down hill as fast as before!

GASP!!!

Well well well!

All I knew was that I am going to die in few seconds ..... at the max 20 seconds
The time froze...

Literally!!!


And thats when my pounding heart made me realise that

even those 20 seconds I had ....

are running out too !!!

and fast!!!

..

19......

18......

17.....

16 .......

This is the time a thought came to my mind..
rather it was a question...

the toughest question of my life:
"Now that I know I am going to die,

what was my life really worth?"

I had never asked myself this question ever before in my entire life....

And right between this situation, in those few seconds, I got my answer from myself:
"Honestly, It was quite worthless!"
(It was direly painful realisation,
and listening to that 'was' part of the answer from my own self was very devastating!)


"...and you are going to die ... worthless someone's death. "

(even more devastation!)

Yes, of course I was scared to death ( now I know what it really means!)
trembling and sweating with fear!
Death itself was standing BANG infront of me,
squarely smiling, waiting for me with open arms!







"...and you are going to die ... worthless someone's death. "









"...and you are going to die ... worthless someone's death. "







I could hear this over and over..... God know how many times!









Call it fortune,

call it good luck...
Call it whatever you want... Your choice!



I call it Grace of God..

I was literally moved aside on the sand gravel.



I mean i do not remember moving or turning the handle of my bike. I was totally frozen.

But yet I was moved to safety over the loose patch of gravel between the tar road and the valley!


I was Guided by.. some thing or some one .. I could very well feel it

some force.. some blessings.. some karma... or some power...

I dont know how to explain ....

May be thats what people call as God...

I don't know and I truly don't care what it is called as.

Whatever it is..


It is amazing!

Well, but I was still moving down on the thin strip of loose gravel between valley and tar road!!

Some how balancing as those two jeeps sped past me.. not even bothering to stop
or even slow down or care to see if I fell down in valley or spilled and scattered myself all over the road..

..now the loose gravel was a thick layer and tar layer was even higher..
so although the cars passed me with out harming me... THANK GOD...

but I was still in a mess !!!


and guess what? I was on full brakes!


Tyres were almost steady and still the momentum was so much that I was still sliding down on that loose gravel!
that too, surprisingly.. with out loosing balance much!

but it was damn scary! I probably had started shivering!


Whats Next???

Although I was saved from crashing into jeeps
I knew was either going to die falling in valley
or will loose life after scattering my body parts all over this winding road!
And thats when I noticed that there was a road turn right ahead!!!!
I was sure .. that .. THIS is going to be IT!
I could literally feel my heart beat louder than cannons firing...

Mentally I was couting 6 seconds to go.........5..........4.......

As the bike kept on going down on gravel with stationary wheels...

The 'LAST' turn approached nearer and nearer...
And Praise the lord,

the loose gravel was lesser there.. with more of solid ground..

so instead of falling in valley, or scattering on road or slipping

... the bike screeched to halt at the turn!!!!

And you know whats the best part of this is??

I did not even loose balance and fall!

No injury!

No scratch on bike even!



HUSH!!!



:)



It was totally out of the world experience!


I was shivering and shaking and trembling
and stood just like that for almost 10 mins may be..
these few minutes .... all of them felt like eternity!
:)
It was amazing to see my own death squarely and clearly in front..
and staring right in your eyes...

smiling knowingly and openly expressing that..

that this is IT!


Well probably that could be the reason why I am not afraid of anything now..

not even death!


I believe that the best gift of life : mystery of tomorrow! ( or you can say.. the next moment!)


This incident changed my life totally....

may be not instantly..

but eventually it did deeply make a great impact in my life.

My choices, my decisions, my prayers, my choice of friends, work, partner, and practically every sphere of life is deeply affected by this incident and the various lessons I learnt from it!

I dont know if I will see tomorrow (or next moment) so I do my best to live vividly and take in as much of life as possible today! right now!

:)


Keep smiling! and enjoying life!
You never know what may happen!

Please do send me your feedback and comments on omkar.nisal@gmail.com

cheers
Omeee

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