Last week, Ram wrote a nice (though grim) piece on how some people whom he knew died before they had lived life to the fullest. When discussing this with him over a brandy and curd rice (these are to me what whisky and masala dosa are to Quick Gun Murugun), I remembered a time when I had almost died. It happened in Delhi's posh South Extension. I and my close friend Sattu were crossing the road. Those days, I was rarely sober and thanks to the alcohol and the leather shoes I was wearing, I slipped and fell in the middle of the road. As I lay there, a car came screaming towards me. Sattu, who was standing to my left, immediately jumped and stood between me and the racing car, which fortunately stopped in time. When I later asked Sattu why he did something like that, he simply said that had the car hit him, he would have lost only his legs, but had it hit me, I would have died. The Hitopadesa says that that which is protected by fate will survive though unguarded, while that which is smitten by fate will be destroyed even if well protected from all sides. Alistair MacLean, my favourite writer, says in one of his books that there is a special Providence that protects little children and drunkards. I have always believed in destiny and those who don't can kindly explain to me why millionaires in ICUs, surrounded by the best of cardiologists, die, while unwanted newborn baby girls dumped in garbage cans survive. Since the car never made contact and stopped well before hitting Sattu, I would have survived even if he had not been there. Maybe, the accident was not to show me that I could have died where I lived maybe, it was to show me the true worth of friends. As a loner, I have not found anybody who would like to live for me, but I feel honoured that there is somebody who felt that I was worth dying for. It is no surprise that Sattu is the closest friend I have. This incident happened in the early 90s and many times since then, I have felt that my life is not worth much. But every time I felt thus, I would remember Sattu's capacity for self sacrifice and tell myself that there must have been some purpose why I lived. Have I found that purpose yet? Perhaps I have and perhaps I haven't. I don't know. But I do know that, no matter what destiny does to me, God and my friends are always there for me. What more can any man want?

The Raj I knew

Last week, Ram wrote a nice (though grim) piece on how some people whom he knew died before they had lived life to the fullest.

This close to death

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This close to death

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