Chronicles of 6/6

As I am going through this most leisurely time of my life (Never would I have ever imagined and nor would I ever of experiencing such a period in my life again), I have been forced to read a lot of stuff from all sources. One of the manuscripts gave me this interesting quote to ponder “A lion wakes up everyday and starts running after a deer to survive. A deer wakes up everyday and starts running from a lion to survive. So the point is that it does not matter whether you are a lion or a deer. You just have to keep running.” So very true!! We as homo-sapiens also tend to follow this maxim inherited from our evolution partners and therefore are always on the run, except when a series of events happen to go against you.
Flashback!! Another of those weekends was approaching and I was pondering over my mind, that it was almost 6 weeks that I had not visited the place of my genesis and it was a long enough frequency that I had not troubled my mom. But then another thought struck me, saying that it would be better off visiting next week end since it coincided with my birthday and it was a long time that I frequented in Belgaum on that special day and the very thought, that I may plan out some outing with my near ones, helped me make that quiet an easy decision at the end. (Wish I did travel that week and it was worth while travelling again the next week end) Well Friday evening, planned out a party with my department buddies (The ceiling amount proposed for each occasion, was such a big hit – we almost had a party every fortnight). Well, this time the venue was Banjara Hills and it was almost midnight that we reached home. Just went through the news headlines on NDTV, before I realized that the results of those tiresome cardio sessions were showing up. No!! I am not talking about the weight, but it was a pain that I had developed in my left ankle (Fortunately, my weight also reduced by about 5 kgs in those 2 months – never knew that I would regain it back again soon). Having the burden of pain in the left ankle, before retiring to sleep, I thought I would skip my cricket game tomorrow (Would have been an wise decision).
Chirping birds – While they did manage to wake me up as usual in the morning, I was late by atleast an hour (Got up at 7:35 am – Wish that I got up further late). I was in 2 minds whether to go and play or rest for the day; but the thought of Tomato Omlet at Roopali and the image of ducking out on a rising delivery on the slippery surface of the pitch after the lashing showers in the last couple of days just pushed me out of the bed (Wish I never succumbed to the temptation) and there I was on the bike, with the Radio Mirchi’s Masakali dhun accompanying me all along my way. The ride in the early morning fresh chill (So what, if it was eight in the morning) as a result of the first showers after a scorching hot summer is just something that cannot be described with words. By the time, I reached the ground, it was almost the end of the first game and I was just resting under the tree behind the wicket keeper. When it was time for game 2, I was selected in the batting side and I was asked out to open the innings. I denied the request to open and opted to bat lower down the order (Wish I did honor that request). Having denied the batting, I thought I would umpire the game and had started my walk towards the non strikers’ end, when I was asked to join the bowling side (just to balance the 2 teams up) and I said a reluctant yes to the offer (Wish I had rejected the offer) since I was very excited to be in the batting side. Fielding close on either side of the wicket was my preferred position and now days I don’t have to fight for it, since people give up that position for me. I took my fielding guard on the leg side, when one of my close mates asked me if he could field in that position and asked me to go to Long-on (Wish I said NO). Four overs later – a dropped chance (a fairly difficult one though) and misfields from my co-fielders on the boundary line had just pumped me up when a ball was hit in the midwicket area. I thought that the ball was close for me to field it up and prevent the second, however when I did run towards the ball, the ball was beckoning me and was hurriedly inching towards the boundary line. I just increased up my speed and just when I thought that I had the chase under my control and would stop the boundary, I was down there rolling myself on the ground atleast 3 times, before I could hear a scream “Abhya” (I suppose it was AJya who yelled) and saw the ball roll over the boundary. Till then I was not sure (am still not sure) what had happened to me in the last minute, but I recall the next moment, the whole team was around me and I was explaining to them that I have just lost my control my right leg. I had a look at the place where I rolled and found a small depression caused by the stream of the rainwater which I believe I stepped into. When 20 plus engineers are given a problem, more often than not, they come up with many solutions and here the problem was how to take me to the hospital. Out of the many solutions, one was quickly finalized and there I was being man-handled (for sake of sanity, don’t take the literal meaning) by 5 people and even the rest of the gang one did a good job in putting across in a Santro – quiet a back door entry literally (I was later appraised by my cousin doctor, as to how critical job was it to transfer me in that condition, since even if I had been slightly mishandled, there was a very high risk of damaging a main nerve - forgot the name and thus I was deprived of yet another of those complicated operations and a very taxing recuperation). We reached Deenanath hospital and I was being transferred to the casualty ward via a stretcher. After the painkilling injections, I was taken to the X-ray room and in about 20 mins, I had that bouncer of my life – I had fractured my right femur bone, (yes the strongest and the longest bone in the human body!!) and had to be operated to insert a steel rod. More bad news to follow, the recuperation time was 8 to 10 weeks – this news certainly was a yorker and it literally blew my pulse rate up in the sky. Phone calls and messages were being used at will to inform all the affected ones.
Long after that 7 hour long mid-night operation, when I was transferred to a private ward and there I was watching a T20 match and an insurance ad was being aired where a girl with a fractured leg sitting in a wheel chair, being mobilized by her boyfriend are enjoying the rain in a lush green lawn.
Jiyo Befikar - Bajaj Allianz Ad

Watching that ad, as usual, I was tempted to write – Wish I had somebody like that; when I realized that instead of one, there were dozens of them who were willing to hold that fractured leg up for me, so that I could walk again. Mates, Never ever in my life (I know for sure, I would never be in the future), had I felt more secure to stand up tall on my feet.