A cat has nine lives, I have many more – 4

This happened in 1979. It was Mahalaya – a day when people pay respect to their parents who are no longer with them. It would be a first time for me because I had lost my father the previous year. Therefore, I decided to drive on my scooter to Ram Kund in Nashik. This place is on the River Godavari and considered a holy place. On days like this, there are innumerable priests available to perform the rituals. One of my friends wanted to accompany me. He, like me, had also lost his father the previous year. We decided to leave our township by 6am, drive down to Ram Kund, carry out the tarpan and be back by 6.45 am. That way we could return in time to attend our duties at 7am.

At such an early hour of the day, the traffic on the highway was less. It was the Mumbai-Delhi National Highway No 3 – and it had only two lanes. Today, it is an 8-lane highway. Anyway, we reached the holy spot, did the tarpan and began our journey back. It was the start of another day and traffic had increased on the road. I was driving the scooter and as I approached our township, I saw a truck ahead of me. It was moving at a slow speed and I wanted to overtake it. As I edged out towards the right, I saw another truck coming from the opposite direction. Instinctively, I tried to squeeze into the space between the two trucks – and succeeded. Of course, the drivers let out expletives and I did not wait to hear them out. I had to hurry because the time was nearly 7am! I added this incident into the category of other similar near-death incidents in my life.


Popular stories on this and related sites –


A cat has nine lives, I have many more – 3

A cat has nine lives, I have many more – 2

A cat has nine lives, I have many more – 1

Old age home for senior citizens

Health is an important issue for senior citizens above 60

Senior citizens in the world of smart phones and credit cards

Bollywood film industry celebrates Holi, the festival of colors, to welcome spring

Uttar Pradesh celebrates Holi, the festival of colors, to welcome spring

Rajasthan celebrates Holi, the festival of colors, to welcome spring

Prince Harry does not have any plan to visit Britain in March

I am unable to walk – my doctors send me to Mumbai hospital

It happened so suddenly that I was caught completely unawares. I woke up at night and when I put my foot on the ground, I could not stand upright. There was no strength in my legs – it seemed to be made of stone.
My wife got in a panic and called my son who was in the next room. He supported me and I walked down one step at a time to the scooter downstairs. Then he took me to the hospital and the duty doctor put me on traction.
It was a sort of dislocation in the hip joint and must have happened when I had taken the car battery stairs for charging. Whatever it be, I was in trouble and, with my mobility in the factory affected, my bosses felt that I should get better treatment. They discussed the matter with the Doctors and they asked me to go to Mumbai and get the opinion of an orthopedic specialist.

Since HAL had links with major hospitals in Mumbai and all I had to do was to go there armed with the necessary papers and authority. Therefore, I left for Mumbai – accompanied by my wife. We traveled by the Gitanjali Express in which short-distance passengers were not allowed. But, the TTE was kind enough to allow me in view of my medical condition.
My brother stayed in Worli, Mumbai, and he had sent across his car. We spent the night in his flat and next morning went to the hospital. The orthopedic specialist was a Bengali doctor and he examined selected number of patients while his juniors examined the others.
I had come from HAL and, hence, I was in his special category.
He went through the papers, asked me about my problems and then picked up a rubber mallet and lightly tapped my knees. Then he asked me to stand on tiptoe and walk around the room. Finally, he gave his advice – ‘behave normally, nothing serious has happened to you’.
His assurance itself was a huge relief to me. (Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

A few more must reads -

Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


More than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped last year by Boko Haram have vanished

Journey to freedom – 5800 migrants rescued from the Mediterranean

Indonesian smugglers stuff yellow-crested cockatoos into plastic bottles to get past customs

Engineering graduate of Hyderabad goes astray, dies because of links with ISIS

Dozens of corpses found in bamboo cages in Thai human trafficking camp

Quick tour of Delhi by ITDC bus


Another interesting blog - Citizen Journalist

Another interesting blog - Violence and atrocities

Wing Commander who wore a wig and rode a scooter

Yes, this Wing Commander was the head of Customer Services and my boss. He was a unique person and the more I got to know him, the more was I struck by his methods. He was a Bengali and never spoke in Bengali. He owned a Fiat – an original Italian version. And, he maintained it by himself. If you opened the bonnet, you not find a speck of dust or a drop of oil anywhere. He also owned a scooter and would come to office on the two wheeler. In order to keep his wig from flying off, he used to hold it in place by a pair of goggles that he would place strategically on his forehead – to lock the edge of the wig in place.

This boss was different from others because he could also strum the guitar. This was revealed at the farewell party of a colleague. In order to liven up the evening, he had come with his instrument and sang some of his favorite sings. One of these was – ‘mere piya gaye Rangoon, wahan say kiya hai telephone …’
As I have mentioned earlier, he initially did not give much importance. But, one day, I discovered a letter from the IAF that he had marked to me by name. ‘Ghose, please discuss’. It was a purely technical subject and I discussed with my elderly colleagues on how I should approach the subject. But, their replies did not help. So, I decided to study the subject on my own, and gather as much information as possible.
That took me the rest of the day and next morning, I met my boss after he had settled in.
I narrated to him what I had found out and he appeared to be impressed. He wanted to see it himself and I accompanied down the stairs and climbed into the cockpit of one of the aircraft in the hangar. I had carried with be drawings and explained to him the nature of problem that our customers had referred to us for clarification.
That was my first test and I had passed it with flying colors because, soon he began to mark more and more such letters to me for my actions. (to be continued …)


Another interesting blog - Violence and atrocities

Another interesting blog - Citizen Journalist


Links to some more interesting stories –


Nashik Kumbhmela 2015 – a once in 12-years pilgrimage

Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the epic Ramayana

Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

Nashik transforms from a place of pilgrimage to an industrial hub


Nine medical students go to Syria, their families try to bring them back

Health tips – lose weight without dieting


My Boss wanted me to become a detective


My job interview over a cup of coffee