Miracles do happen in our daily life.One passes through numerous incidents in their life. Incidents that they come across in their life are not alike. Generally, they differ from one another. They may vary from person to person also. The incident may be a bomb blast or one getting stabbed by other person in anger, or a tree falling soon after one crosses it or tsunami waves hitting an island where one was there a few minutes ago etc. One cannot even imagine also when, how and where what type of incident would take place. There is no end or limit to such types of incidents in this world. They take place every moment at one or another place in this world. World cannot be incident free. If one escapes from jaws of death under anyone of such mysterious circumstances, then it is really a miraculous escape only.Sometimes,we are aware of a miraculous escape that we had and sometimes we are unaware of miraculous escape that we had. A tree may fall just after we cross it, tsunami may enter an island just after we leave it, we may tread upon a cobra but fortunately for us it may not bite. Generally,we are unaware of miraculous escapes of these types. Accidents or mishaps take place everyday in this world. How it would affect a person who meets with an accident nobody can predict? Coming out of an accident unhurt is also a miraculous escape. What happens when an accident takes place, it depends mostly upon the gravity of accident. Sometimes it is a brush with death. Sometimes it is loss of limbs & some become physically handicapped.As a result some are financially affected, some are psychologically affected. Some lose their lives. I feel I have a long life because I had a number of miraculous escapes in my life. These escapes were mostly from accidents in my case. We come across others types of escapes too in life where one does some blunders and escapes without being caught or in other words one remains Scot-free.
Fate plays a major part in our life. It is fate that decides everything on this earth. What happened yesterday it was due to fate only, what is in store for tomorrow that fate only knows and that which is happening now is in the hands of fate only. Fate is already written. Nobody can change fate. Fitzgerald says a finger which never stops writes and moves on our forehead and whatever tears we shed cannot erase a single letter so written. Nobody knows what their fate is. Fate is full of suspense. Everything takes place according to one’s fate. But we cannot leave everything to fate and keep quiet. Krishna says in Bhagwad Geetha “Karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana” which means that we have to do our duty sincerely and honestly and the result we have to leave to Him. When our stars are good or when fate is on our side everything good takes place. These thoughts were hovering in my mind when I was a pillion rider on the bike of Mr. Shiva Kumar. Mr.Shivakumar was our technical officer at the branch to assist me to grant and monitor agricultural advances. He had purchased a brand new bike for performing his duties. We planned a visit to Davangere Sugar Company at Kukkawada to know the position of cane supply and due dates of payments to cane growers whom we had financed. Kukkawada is on Davangere Channagiri road. It is not enough if we lend a loan. It needs proper follow up or post sanction. In those days we were lending to sugarcane growers for raising sugarcane crop on a large scale. There was tie up arrangement between Sugar Company and bank. Bank was getting their lien duly noted with Sugar Company. Sugar Company was supposed to send proceeds of cane supplied to it by grower to bank without fail and there should not have been any difficulty in recovery of such loans.
But all was not that well. Some people were not supplying cane to sugar company at all. They were converting cane into jaggery. Some were supplying cane under permit given to somebody else. Some were influencing company officials to give them more advances. Some of the company officials were conniving in diverting the proceeds Thus there were numerous problems for prompt repayment of loans. I had been to Sugar company to find out which of our borrowers had supplied cane to the company and when payment in respect of their supply would be due etc. My task was over in an hour or so. We were returning to our branch which was situated on Davangere Channagiri road. It was a tar road that was not maintained well. A number of pot holes were there on that road. Generally it is the case with almost all rural roads .It was a non nationalized bus route. Only private buses were plying on that route. A private bus was ahead of us. It was an old bus. It was oozing a lot of smoke. Moreover it was raising lot of dust too. It seemed that driver of that was not much experienced one. I could not tolerate both dust and smoke. I requested Mr. Shivakumar to overtake the bus. He pressed the accelerator and horn of bike. We were nearing Karignur cross. It is a junction We were unaware whether the driver of the bus heard the horn of bike or not.. The driver of bus did not indicate that he would take a turn towards Karignur at Karignur Katri. Unexpectedly he took a turn. Mr. Shivakumar did not know what to do? Somehow he was able to avoid the bike colluding with the bus. Otherwise we would have been under the running bus . The junction had a culvert made up of hard stones. Our bike hit that culvert at a speed exceeding 60 kilometers per hour. Newton’s third law of motion had taken place .The place was surrounded by hard substances all-around. We were thrown out of bike. I closed my eyes and thought we would be in a hospital. The bike was in shambles. When I opened my eyes I was on a heap of grass that was nearby and so too was Mr. Shivakumar. We had come out unscathed. An accident is one that takes place without our knowledge that too all of a sudden. It is an unexpected happening generally causing loss or injury which is not due to any fault or misconduct on the part of the person injured but for which legal relief may be sought. It was a miraculous escape which I cannot forget. We claimed money from insurance company for the damage caused to the bike. Karignur cross is at distance of only a few kilometers from Kukkawada as well as from Thyavanige and Karignur. Karignur is a place to which Late Hon. J.H. Patel ex Chief Minister of Karnataka belonged.
How can I forget my childhood? I was very naughty. It was early nineteen forties. World War II between Germany, Japan and friendly countries was not yet fully over. I was not aware of these facts at that time because I was only four or five years old. There used to be black out in the evenings. We were at Nagappanakeri, Shimoga in a huge building where a branch of Canara Banking and Corporation Limited was functioning. Now-a-days it cannot be called a big building for it was an ordinary a tiled roof building. Even in sixties, I remembered to have seen that building, it was occupied by Deccan Roadways at that time. I cannot forget that building because I spent my childhood there only. My father was an agent of Canara Banking & Corporation Ltd. Now an agent of a bank is designated as branch manager. We were provided quarters in that building. India was not independent. Shimoga was a small town. Nothing was there beyond Gopi Circle. There were a few buildings on Nehru Road. Either B.H. Road or Nehru Road had not developed. There was no heavy traffic on those roads that we find now a day. Now they have become heart of Shimoga City. Now we wonder whether it is same Shimoga which we saw sixty years ago. Of course all places are developing. I used to go for a stroll along with father in the evenings. Generally all children enjoy that for one can get their small needs like masal dosa, ice cream, fulfilled during that time. Even to day I remember fruit salad and ice-cream which I used to have from Bhat Brothers at Amir Ahmed Circle. During our evening strolls. One evening I and my dear father had been to walking on Balraj Urs Road. Balraj Urs road leads to railway station. It is a long road. It was known to me as railway station road only. We went up to railway station. By the time I returned home at Nagappanakeri, it was very dark and I was very tired. Lights were not there due to blackout. I was feeling very thirsty. Kitchen was on the back side of our house. Kerosene lamps were flickering at home. One small lamp which we call a “chimini” was there in kitchen .It was emitting a little light. It was by the side of a copper vessel containing water. That small lamp bears no covering. Dear mother was busy with her cooking. Nobody else was there in kitchen. I was in hurry because of thirst. With a help of a cup, I started engulfing water.A small oil lamp called chimini was burning at my back right behind. Flame from same caught my little shirt. Fire spread all over my back. I was unaware of all this because of tiredness and unquenchable thirst. Fire was about to catch my hair, fortunately for me my mother at the nick of moment noticed and immediately tore the shirt from my body. She poured water too. My entire back was burnt. Boils were there all over. My life was saved. I remembered to have suffered from those burns for over six months. I had scars on my back for a long time. I still remember the suffering.It was a miraculous escape.
These are not the only accidents, I had in my life. There are a few more. I do not know how many more are in store for me. In 1987, I was in Bhuvaneshwar. I flew to Bhuvaneshwar from Bangalore via Hyderabad. Bhuvaneshwar is capital of Orissa. It is a beautiful city . It is known as a city of temples. It is a planned city. It is a tourism center also. Famous Jaganath temple at Puri,Sun temple at Konark etc are nearby. I was fortunate to get a room in a lodge named Venus Inn where South Indian food was available. It was near railway station as well as near branch of our bank. It was clean and neat and comfortable in all respects. During audits of branches we go through books of accounts of our bank but also make random visits to some borrowers’ places. That enables us to come to know whether such a unit is there or not. How it is functioning etc. We can go through their books of accounts and files of borrowers. Mr. Das, technical officer of branch accompanied me for such visits. As usual I was a pillion rider. A wife of an I.A.S. officer was traveling in an ambassador car. We were on a main road. The driver of that ambassador car without slowing down from crossroad came and hit our bike forcibly. Both Mr. Das and I were on road. Mr. Das had injuries and needed medical attention. He was in hospital for a few days whereas I did not even have bruises. What should I call it? Is it not a miraculous escape? It is an unforgettable incident.
It was 1977. My stars were very bad. Everything was going awry. I was desperate. I remembered Sri Subbaraya Bhat of Heggarbail. He was a famous priest as well as an astrologer. I wanted to consult him I did not know exactly where Heggarbail was situated. I went in search of that village inquiring pedestrians on my scooter. Nobody guided me properly. At last I came across an old man who agreed to accompany me to that village. In my hurry bury I increased the speed of scooter. The speed exceeded 60 .k. m s. per hour. It was a steep curve. I could not take a turn. I lost control and dashed against a culvert. Both of us were on road. The old man was bleeding profusely from mouth. He had lost a tooth. Fortunately both of us were not seriously injured. It was a narrow escape from death. The place where we had accident was dangerous. We would have fallen down over a rock from a height and our skull would have been in pieces. I wanted to pay for the treatment of old man. He did not accept anything. He in turn blamed his stars. We left the scooter which was badly damaged there only and returned to Sirsi by KSRTC bus. Of course my mechanic went later on and brought it home. Even to-day, I remember the incident. It was a miraculous escape.
It was year 2001; we were preparing to go to United States. One evening, I was planning to cross the road and go to the other side to board a bus to go to R.T. Nagar to purchase some of my requirements for the trip. I was at Kodigehalligate. It is a junction on Bellary Road. Sometimes only policeman regulates traffic there. There were no signal lights even. It is a national highway. Day and night, one can find heavy traffic on that road. Vehicles are run at various speeds according to whims and fancies of drivers. Some are always in a hurry. Some are careful while their driving whereas some are not. I was about to cross the road, a speeding bike scrapped me and I was on road. I was fortunate another vehicle did not run over me because it was a sea of vehicles. The bike person did not stop even. My leg was badly bruised and bleeding. The pain was unbearable. Somebody went to nearby pan shop and bandaged it with a band aid. I heaved a sigh of relief for it was a miraculous escape. I had to have anti tetanus injection and swallow antibiotics for a fortnight. The wound healed in United States after a fortnight.
It was 1997, after thirty five years of service I had just retired. How to spend my retired life? This was the question that was haunting meat that time. I had no plans for my retired life. I was feeling bored. I did not know what to do. Fortunately for me Mr. M. Kishore of M/S. Ray & Ray, Chartered Accountants, near Bowring Hospital on Lady Curzon Road engaged me for bank audit on behalf of his firm. He entrusted other audit works also. Hence, I got the opportunity of auditing travel agencies, hotels, housing finance companies etc. It was rich experience. My residence was at Ganesha Block in R.T. Nagar and I was traveling to audit places by Kinetic Honda Scooter daily. On one day, I had crossed Cantonment railway station and was approaching Queens Road. In between these two places there is a narrow passage. It has always busy traffic. I was in extreme left of that road. I was very careful. Yet, a BMTC bus knocked me down the scooter and I was lying flat on the middle of road. I had minor injuries. My pant was torn. People had gathered round me. People wanted the driver to be punished. They wanted me to lodge a complaint against him. I did not oblige. I thanked God for miraculous escape.
I have learnt a lot from above experiences. Every time I have come out unscathed. I feel that if we are blessed with long life nothing would ever happen to us even in the worst times. I hope that I will not come across such accidents here afterwards at least. My experience is that one need not be adventurous to meet with an accident. Accidents do occur in one’s life but they should be lucky to have miraculous escapes.
Here are two more miraculous escapes . Of course,they do not relate to me . They pertain to one of my friend by name Mr. KNPai. On both the occasions, he narrowly escaped from the jaws of death. They were miraculous escapes. Both incidents were not identical. One incident took place when he was serving SIDBI a Government of India undertaking at Ernakulam in 1994. As he was serving SIDBI, he was allotted one of the apartments meant for SIDBI Officers. One fine morning there was no electricity at his apartment. So, he climbed down from his apartment to cellar of apartments where the main switch boards of electricity were situated. He noticed that fuse in the switch board of his apartment had burnt down completely. Hence, he tried to induct a new fuse wire into the board. Voltage of current that was flowing inside the board was high. There was a short circuit of electricity. In the process, he was electrocuted. Fortunately, he did not succumb to it on the spot. He was carried to hospital in an unconscious state. Skin of his body was burnt terribly. He was unrecognizable. He was treated in the hospital for more than six months. It was a miraculous escape from death. Other incident that took place in his life was equally amazing . He was traversing across Sharavathi River at Honnavar in a boat to attend an inaugural function at a nearby place. The river was very deep. It was the place where Sharavathi River joins Arabian Sea. In fact, we come across tidal waves at that place when the river is in full flow. Mr. Pai does not know swimming. The boat in which he was traveling became topsy turvy due to tidal waves. He was inside river. It seems, before getting drowned a person comes t to the surface of river several times. Mr. Pai too came to the surface of river in that way and fortunately he could catch hold of a plant. He reached the bank with the help of that plant. Peril taught him the way. He utilized every bit of energy in him to come out of that precarious situation. His clothes were all wet. It was getting late for the function. A motor car was waiting for him on the river bank. He could not get his clothes fully dried. But he proceeded to attend the inaugural function with clothes half wet. Under what all circumstances we survive. Even where we have lost all our hope or where we do not even dream of our survival too we survive. What we can call it. "Luck." No No" It is His Grace . God is great.