Showers of Glass, Protection and Love . . .

Hey Guys,

It was a cool and pleasant evening in Coimbatore and I got ready to go home after nearly three weeks. Feeling all romantic in the very beautiful climate I texted my friends and left in my car homeward bound with our driver behind the wheel. Little was I prepared for what was going to happen en route.

With the car swooshing at a happy 100 kmph speed and the tape playing one of my very favourite old tamil song, I was going over the brilliant visuals of that song in my mind and also texting three very close friends from college. I sensed nothing inappropriate as our driver was a brilliant one and he always drove safe and clean, and we weren’t even over-taking. The world seemed just perfect and I bent down to read the newest message I had received on my cell phone when the car suddenly scrambled further left. I looked up only to have a shower of glass falling all around me.

I was totally confused and I got out of the car and looked at the road behind me – at the bus that had just scraped us and gone. In that confusion I got in and sat back in the car and after a minute regaining a little composure I asked my driver if he was ok. He was fine! Still the magnitude of the damage had not sunk into me. The driver pulled over to the side.We got out.

There was a crowd of people and other vehicles around us, checking if we were alright and asking if we needed help. I truly thank god for all that support. The bus had stopped and all its passengers found another bus. We were two kms from the nearest town Palladam.

Only when I walked over to the driver’s side of the vehicle to assess the damage after informing my dad did I begin to shiver. The Damage was too huge. Both the doors on the right side of the vehicle were damaged and the side glasses were shattered. A portion of the front glass was gone and what remained showed interesting spider web patterns. I couldn’t help thinking of how much my Mom loved this vehicle that has been with us for around 7 years now and still in wonderful condition.

I moved around the vehicle and clicked pictures on my inferior mobile phone on the spot. My driver frantically called the police, the insurance surveyor and other people to find out how to proceed. My uncle immediately started from Kangayam so as to come and pick me up. Slowly the crowd diminished. I finished taking enough pictures from all angles.

What had happened was the bus driver coming opposite to us did not notice our car and moved into our lane to over take the car in front of him. When both him and driver noticed the blunder, they both stamped the brakes and tried to move away but at the speeds we were travelling in the collision was inevitable. I truly felt that it was a close call on my life only a good half an hour later.


This incident brought me closer to my own being. I couldn’t help but think for a few moments, “What if I had died in this incident, wouldn’t it have been a gentle riddance for so many in the world and to myself too?” When all such insane thoughts were crossing my mind my uncle arrived and we proceeded from there to the Police Station and after filing a complaint I came home in my uncle’s car. My two aunts were waiting there along with Grand mom and my parents.

After all this tamasha, the only thing that pained my mind was that I had no place to run back to after terrible things where I’d feel safe, no one into whose arms I could just run into knowing I was safe there. No place where I know good food, a comfortable bed, total freedom and people who know me would be waiting to offer solace to me !!!
Well on that note I wind up here! Take care phantoms!

P.S : The number of road traffic accidents in the past week is too many to my own introvert knowledge itself – so all you people driving around please be very careful ! ! !


P.S.S : Don't think I am an insane blogger for sharing even such things online but I did so because all of you reading my blog are extremely close to me and I felt you deserved to know .