I LIVED......

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It is very rare to see roads empty in India but during summer when the sun ‘uncle’ is just over you, you can see this rare scene. I was the only unlucky guy who had work in afternoon.

After nearly melted in sweat I reached the auto stand. I searched for the owner of the auto and then finally my search ended in a Panwala’s shop.

“Bhaiya, Hariparwat chaloge?” I asked him.

“Bas, thodi aur sawaari aate hi chalete hai……” I looked all over the road; there was no other guy on the street. Then I looked in my purse, there was not enough money either so that I can book the auto for myself. So the moral was that I have to wait till the auto gets few more passengers.

After about 5 minutes (well according to watch it was 5 minutes but it was almost like an hour for a person waiting), a man and his wife (may be) came. I felt relieved that now the driver will let us to the destination but no there were only three passengers. The driver wanted more.

Waiting continued. But this time it was a bit interesting because the other passengers, means husband and his wife (now I was sure that the lady was his wife) started fighting on the issue of the mother of the husband. Ah, I felt really happy that I was not married.

After another 10 minutes or so came two girls wearing scarves on their faces. One of them asked the same question to the driver.

“Bhaiya, Hariparwat chaloge?” and they also received the same answer but this time he was a bit angry may be because the girls said ‘Bhaiya’ to the driver. He’ll be cursing his job.

So now the auto having capacity of 4 people is filled with 5 and still the driver wanted more. So the waiting was still on.

Finally after 2 or 3 minutes came a family of 3 people. Now the driver stood from the Panwala’s shop. I was wondering that where he will settle these 3 more passengers and if he settles them somehow, where he will sit? Now the driver took 5 more minutes to adjust every body and somehow he succeeded in his mission.

Now came the time to start engine. He pulled the handle, nothing happened. He pulled it again and again the same result.

“Oh, come on. For god’s sake.” I said it to myself and the engine started. He was about to move the auto when I heard a motorcycle’s horn from the other side of the road. Those were my friends Ram and Shekhar.

“Come with us. We are also going their.” Ram said. He knew where I was going.

After listening to him I left my auto and crossed the road and reached the bike. The auto was still there. He was searching for one more passengers. Soon came a man and the auto was full again.

I was adjusting Ram to make some space for me to sit on the bike when I heard a blast kind of a thing. The auto got hit by a Safari from behind. The impact was so hard that it shook all of us. Passengers were lying on the road. Some dead some alive but hurt badly. Ram and Shekhar both run quickly to the spot to help but I was standing there only. Everything around me was in slow motion. My ears were not listing anything just the cry of the people who got hurt.

I can be the one of them. I was in that particular auto. I was senseless at that time. My friends somehow came to know my condition and dropped me back to my home. I lived, I don’t know how? But I lived………