We were out for our walk in our condominium complex talking about the more important issues of international affairs and national politics, when we were interrupted by a shrill whistle directed at us. It was the guard trying to draw our attention to a temporary pedestrian pathway created on the opposite side of the road. This had turned the road into a narrow lane for the vehicles to navigate the blind stretch. Enquiries revealed an accident earlier in the day. I felt this was a knee-jerk reaction to a more serious issue of children racing their bikes inside the complex. My wife also commented, “Accidents will always happen, whatever measures are taken.”
Her comments made sense. A senior colleague was out for his walk early in the morning in Delhi. Contemplating the mysteries and unmindful of the vagaries of life, he stepped off the kerb to be hit by a bus. He escaped with multiple fractures which took a few months to mend. He was gracious enough to accept his fault, and counted his blessings.
A few years earlier the Delhi Traffic Police made it mandatory for both the riders on two-wheelers to wear helmets. A community objected to the same on religious grounds, and sought exemption even for women riders. A senior colleague from the same community was to remark, “An accident would not discriminate on the basis of faith that one follows.”
I travelled to Bhutan a few times towards the end of the previous century for work. During the first such visit, we were required to criss-cross the country. A couple of these locations were closer to an Indian State which was then facing an insurgency. The Bhutan official cautioned us not to visit two sites, to avoid being caught in the crossfire between the militants and Indian forces.
I remarked philosophically, “Whatever is meant to happen will happen. If we are destined to die on the border of the happiest country, then nothing can stop it.” I realised that his sense of humour was much better than mine, “But why should we invite a bullet to be our destiny?”
This was akin to a saying in India, “There would always be some time in your life, when Goddess Saraswati would reside on your tongue. Anything that you may utter at that time would come true.”
I was reminded of another incident from my younger days when four of us ran through a hail of falling pebbles in the hills over a stretch of more than a hundred metres to reach the other end. I obviously survived and the adrenaline coursing through our blood got another boost when we received a standing ovation in the rest house that night. I have mellowed down since then; but I hope that I continue to have the inherent appetite to dare, without a death wish.
There is no denying the truth behind words of Sally Hawkins, “You only do good work when you’re taking risks and pushing yourself.”
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