Date: 01/02/2013
Place: Somewhere on EM Bypass ...
Time: 09:40 PM...
Background...
Thank God It's Friday!..Adhering to this ubiquitous yet famous quote, i left office at around 9:10 PM on our family Santro,trusted at service for the last six years..Zooming past Newtown was a cake walk going full throttle past the Rajarhat Expressway, often praised as a driver's paradise ( for poor Kolkata residents though!!). I enjoyed the music on the 2 speaker modest stereo in the car ,which gives a sufficient output bass to enthrall the audience inside the car,although miserably fails to shake up the surroundings !!!...Anywayz,contemplating on the limitations is not something positive and i don't encourage often...Reaching the Metropolitan crossing was smooth...However,the ITC Sonar Bangla stretch welcomed me with a load of cars and some buses, courtesy Kolkata Book Fair and i had envisaged that previously.
Ground Reality...
Leaving behind Science City, Paroma Island and it's iternal foul smell, i reached Ambedkar Flyover, overtaking some carefully driven sedans...and then put off my engine as i ran downhill with sufficient momentum to reach behind a queue of vehicles standing at the next red signal...RED > GREEN and i natually swung my key to start the engine....tried again...only to hear the half minded response , basically a weired noise!!!..Again and agian....same way with the weired noise going lower on intensity everytime...by this time, i realised the frustration of the long queue of drivers behind whose cars growled at the highest pitch at mine...
The situation was compunded when i found out that i didn't have a single penny as well as the driving licence...i had forgotten my wallet in my office desk...i have the habit of keeping my wallet in the desk as the corners pinch my bum more than often while sitting,,,...:-(...i simply went haywire...at that point, someone came from behind and stroke the glass of the window..i let it down to find a policeman whose Sumo seemed immobilized behind me...I pleaded in a very subdued tone that the engine is malfunctioning sir and i can't start...he seemed in a hurry and went away taking a sharp turn sideways...next to welcome me from behind were the trucks and trailers...with lights ablaze...Really i was at a loss...finding no other alternative, i ventured out and tried to divert the traffic by hand signs...and prayed God that, a traffic sergeant was the last person i needed to see at that precarious moment...Just then i saw some people on a truck at the roadside and shouted for help to at least push the vehicle from the middle of the road to the side lane...Initially they refused, but relented later. Two persons came and helped me take the vehicle to the by lane. Luckily one of the guys was a mechanic and both managed to restrart the engine again...but demanded some 50 bucks with the caution that i mustn't put the engine off midway before reaching home....I Thanked them..and honestly told them that i wanted to give 100 bucks instead for the urgent help, but there was absolutely not a single penney with me...Somehow they found my argument genuine and let me go..I went ahead remembering the caution never to allow the engine off again... Reached home and elaborated the ordeal to my bro and parents...and mind you they were spellbound!!!
Conclusion...
But before going to sleep i thanked HIM for saving me from the impending peril!!!!
Also learnt the moral:
1.Always keep your license in the car
2.Always keep some cash in your bag / pant pocket for emergency...
I know these but had forgotten that day.................:-)