A Miraculous Escape

Oh, it's very difficult for me to tell you how excited I was when I got the permission to go to Uttrakhand with my friends and some elders in our neighborhood. Convincing Mom and Dad was a herculean task.The trip to the picturesque hill town of Badrinath and

Gaurikhand was breathtakingly beautiful. We were in a bus and the lush greenery and rolling hills were a feast for my eyes. We noticed that the weather got cooler and

more pleasant ahead. With all our true devotion, weoffered our prayers at Badrinath. My friend Vidyut and Iclimbed the top of a mountain and the sight of other magnificent snow-capped mountains captivated us.

The crisp, clean mountain air me feel invigorated andrefreshed. In spite of the numerous jostling and serenity in the abode of Lord Shiva. After offering our prayers atBadrinath and Kedarnath, we reached Gourikhand. Itwas raining heavily but I loved the rain so it did not matter to me. I enjoyed seeing it there more than I do here in Dhanbad. The clean and rain washed roads were a welcome change from the clogged and dirty water ofour city.

Unfortunately, our bus which had been crawling for some the time now came to a sudden halt. We couldn't proceed because of the severe traffic jam in that narrow mountain road. Wehad no idea of how long we'd have to wait. After a while Vidyut and I became restless we decided to get out of our bus andclimb up the mountainside to see how big the jam was. Toour amazement, we saw hundreds of buses and cars standingin line waiting for the traffic to start moving. We could notcome to know what exactly the reason was.

Just then, we felt the ground tremble. Instinctively bothVidyut and I clambered a little uphill and held fast on toa sturdy looking tree, clinging to it for dear life. I wastrembling, and it was not because of the cold. As welooked downwards, we were shocked to see the ground breaking away with a loud crashing sound. The next instant a large chunk of the road had collapsed into the furious and the violent river flowing below. Cars were swept away like toys.Terrified cries for the help echoed in the air. I was numb with shock.

Our own bus could not be seen anywhere! coldfear gripped my heart as the clouds thundered and rain poured down. I have no idea how long we stayed thereclinging on to the tree for support and shelter. It seemedas if we were there for ages and were relieved to finallyhere the welcome sound of the approaching helicopters.It was only God's divine blessing and my destiny that Iwas saved that terribly fateful day.

The colossal damage was so painful to look at. Naturewas at its destructive best. Thank God we had escaped.In spite of everything that happened, I still believe that nature is faultless. The reason for natures furry couldbe the man himself!