ZINDA HOON YAAR......KAAFI HAI

"Aavi gayu....Aavi gayu" are the words from the middle aged gujju pediatrician from Ahmedabad who was terrified to say the least. We all see dreams don't we?but few experience nightmares. And these gujarati words itself gives me one!

It was a last long weekend of the last week of April and myself and few of my colleagues flew to Kathmandu for a nutrition

conference. check.in in a posh hotel and in few minutes we all went to Pashupati temple and then to the Thamel area for a brief visit to Northface outlet for window-shopping. This ever crowded place is mecca for trekkers like me. Early to bed as the next day, Saturday,we were supposed to leave our hotel early to reach a resort on the outskirts of the capital city of Kathmandu,where our conference was scheduled. We started on time but in few minutes the bus tyres gave away and we waited for the replacement vehicle near the huge ground where our own Baba Ramdev was conducting a yoga camp,twitching his abdominal muscles and his one eye with equal vigour. After around 40 odd minutes we started and thus we were behind schedule and thus it was going to be a very hectic day.

At the end of the second lecture,we all took a break and were standing in a queue for a cup of tea and few cookies. As usual I was at the tail end of the queue and controlling my yawn thus desparate to sip the himalayan tea. Run........Run........ I heard few loud shrieks as couple of female colleagues turned back and started running towards the staircase. My guess was either they have seen a snake as it's a human psychology to express emotions of fear first or it could have been probably a landslide as this particular resort was at the base of a hillock. But my guessing was horribly wrong. 'Its a quake' said the terrified young pediatrician who was running towards the exit and at that very moment the floor and the roof started shaking. The golden Chandeliers in the majestic hall fell down like a pack of cards. We were around 35 of us on the first floor of a two storey building and it had a wide staircase with around 20 steps which we had to manoeuvre. Hands on my head and jumping like a Tarzan, I was outside the building in few seconds. While getting down I saw doors and windows of the washrooms collapsing. It was our first act of survival but more was yet to follow. As one says famously....'Yeh toh sirf trailor tha..... picture toh abhi baaki hai mere dost'

We all were trying to figure out what happened exactly while regaining our composure. It was an Earthquake. We all were alive though few had bruises. The delegates, organizers and the resort staff were out on a lawn away from the building and trees.

It was 12 noon. Myself and my friend went out on the road, standing middle of the road with few cars stopped in one line. Cries and shouts were heard from the panic localities who had gathered on an open field. There was an young guy, a car driver,with his mobile in a working mode whom I asked to find out the epicenter and the scale. It was more than 8.1 Richter scale,graded 6 meaning severe and the epicenter was between Kathmandu and Pokhara(famous likeside town). While hearing this on BBC the first aftershock came and the road started moving eitherways with my friend and the nepali driver holding my stocky frame. This was the scene from a Hollywood movie no less. This wrath of gods I had never seen in my life. The connectivity was lost forever then. We were cut off from the world.

It was 4pm and food was served to us in form of Dal-Chawal,our staple Indian food,the dish,my favourite since ages, saved ourselves from the hunger. I thanked the cooks,all locals,who inspite of this tragedy, oblivious to the wellbeing of their families and loved ones did their duties and serving food for their guests. So much to learn from them. It was Saturday,a bank holiday and thus all shops were shut. I had wore plain shirt and pants and knew about the fidgety weather in the this Himalayan kingdom thus started scanning for the shops to buy sweaters and monkey cap to save ourselves. The trekking in Himalayas for years had made me strong mentally enough to fight this adversity. I briefed my fellow colleagues about the weather and gave them confidence. At around 7pm the bus arrived to pick us up from the conference venue and we were heading to our hotel. Meanwhile my only connection with my folks and friends was the solitary Facebook post which said about my wellbeing before the loss in connectivity. 

While reaching the hotel we saw some horrible scenes.

The building collapsed,the roads uprooted, people from various strata of society camping in the open grounds. Most of them had a tent and a sleeping bag. Nature was playing a cruel game with them and with us too. We reached the hotel only to see the broken walls,the collapsed fall ceiling,the broken windows and doors.

The hotel,thus was considered unsafe and thus was sealed and we were prevented from entering into. There was only one problem though.....Our passport were inside the bag and the bag was inside the room in that sealed hotel.

After lot of arguments and requests we were allowed to collect our bags with their staff accompanying us. Took my key and went along with one senior pediatrician from Pune and a hotel porter on the second floor,the floor unlike in the morning hours with frames dusted and lights broken. I reached my room only to find my room door refusing to open. I tried hard, I prayed, I crossed my fingers and finally I cursed too. All my feelings got ignored and  I had to return emty handed. But I had a company. Similar episode happened with the Punekar whose room was opposite of mine. Staying in a good place has its advantages too. I met the captain (the manager) of the hotel and he scouted for a carpenter and yet again our adventure began with Mumbaikar and Punekar with 2 Nepali friends went on the second floor on a shaky building which was shaking every few minutes. I got my bag and was out in flat 15 seconds while the lady took her own time packing her bag. Lesson learnt, always pack your bags before you leave the room.' Oooo Shaaaabji' in a typical accent the porter nervously said to me to tell the lady doctor to make things quicker. Finally we all four of us, chanting names of few of the 33 crores god, reached the lawns of the hotel with the bag and the passport in it. Without spending time  I kept the passport in my pocket. It was now 9pm.

It was getting chilly and food was arranged in form of Dal-Chawal and roti-sabji. Delegates were given blankets and pillows and most of them were lucky to get beds too. Few were seen relaxing on the lawns.

Post meals I went out for a walk only to find our bus which had ferried us from the conference venue. I confirmed with the driver and was glad that bus was parked for the night. I requested the driver for spending the night in his bus on those uncomfortable reclining seats to which he gladly accepted. Learning from my past experience during Amarnath tragedy where I spent 7 nights in the bus,I was all ready to extend my stay by one. I called my five other Mumbai colleagues and to give us a company were middle aged doctors from Ahemdabad.

Staying in bus had its advantages. Prevention from chilly weather, intermittent drizzle and offcourse the aftershocks. Post earthquake there are aftershocks (mini quakes) which differ in severity. After every few minutes the bus used to shake a bit and the shrieking and crying and the most famous words 'Aavi Gayo' ,the loudness which was directly proportional to the shake,from the gujju doctor were entertaining us to no end. Sun rose,the drizzle stopped but the shaking and shrieking continued. It was 7am and it was time for tea a desparate need for that hour.

It was Sunday and our flight was scheduled for 10 am departure. We started our bus journey to reach the airport which was a 30 minutes drive. Catastrophe is an apt word to describe what Kathmandu went through.

Few buildings had collapsed, destruction of heritage sites andthere was partial collapse of the system.

Just outside airport was a big chaos.

Hundreds of tourists were seemed lost. Few with and plenty of them without tickets trying to get out of this badly affected city. Security had a tough time controlling the crowd.

To reach the boarding pass issue line from the main gate of the building took us 45 mins. Boarding pass in our pockets and cup of hot coffee things were looking brighter till then.

The airport was packed,jam packed to say the least. Most of them were mountaineers from different parts of the world mostly came to see the highest peak in the world now facing one of the biggest disaster. I scanned their shoes which had the biggest names Timberland, Northface, Columbia etall.

In one hall passengers were waiting since yesterday as their flight was delayed. There was only one coffee shop who had outsold his stuff and there were 4 washrooms which were overbooked all the time.and second big aftershock shook our mind. It was 12 noon to be precise. And the second major aftershock occurred and huge commotion occurred and all the boarding pass holders ran on the tarmac for safety holding their cabin luggage.

We all were in few hundreds sitting under the sun on the tarmac refusing the requests made by the airport authorities to enter inside the hall. The ATC guys apparantly escaped following the aftershock and thus we were stranded as no commercial flights were able to land on the airport. It was 3pm.

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Indian Army was in full action mode arriving in the eye-catching Globemaster plane bringing all kinds of help one can think of. From medicine to clothes to food items,huge packs were offloaded. The handsomely dressed jawans along with their counterparts from Nepal started sending the stranded,injured ones mostly elderly,women and children who were tourists from India into the wide compartment of this huge plane. This plane was suppose to fly to New Delhi. My senior colleague from Mumbai through his contacts tried to convince the authority to allow us to fly. The Colonel gave us a choice between stranded injured, elderly, women and children and we the doctors. We gladly accepted not to fly and thus our stay on the tarmac extended. It was 5pm and except for cold air there was nothing to swallow. Army started distributing food packs and mineral water and few of us were lucky to grab a few getting a feeling of great achievements. As one friend tried to eat the jelly like food item only to spit it out. 'Mat khao' he ordered. I happen to ask one Chinese trekker as this pack had Mandarin written all over 'Its a Scorpion meat' I broke this breaking news to my gang of eight and with no choice we could satisfied our thirst,only by finishing the water in no time.

The authorities ordered us to go inside the airport building as it was getting dark and chilly. The hall was packed and it resembled a compartment of a Churchgate fast local in peak hours . No place to move your body plus a constant risk of aftershocks. The ATC guys had resumed their work and one by one flights started landing. Our was IndiGo. The next few flights were from different nations except for our country. We were losing patience and few of us were contemplating to return to the hotel. Jealousy was in everyone's face as they saw the co-passengers lucky to board their plane. Finally IndiGo with its signature blue logo on the tail arrived with grace and it was the happiest moment of our lives. It was 12 midnight.

It took us one hour to board the flight and very kind captain announced that we all would be getting complementary food. It was oats. How could I not remember. As the flight took off we all clapped, cheered with Bharat Mata ki Jai slogan, even the Japanese trekkers gladly gave us their company. We reached the capital of India to the heroe's welcome with all the channels trying to get a byte. We reached our guest house in Noida to take a much needed rest. Afterall I had worn the same pair of clothes and even the shoes weren't removed for nearly 45 hours. It was 3am.

Morning was the time when we could get connected with our families back in Mumbai. My folks at home got relaxed after hearing my voice. Meanwhile messages started pouring in from near n dear ones as their prayers were answered.At the hindsight the ordeals faced by us were nothing as compared to the  local people out there in Nepal. Hordes of people had to stay out of their houses, sleep in tents,eat whatever one could get without getting into their houses and just try to survive. Survive yet another day. People who lost their lives(9000) people who lost their loved ones and people who lost their hopes. Hopes to live positively in future, thinking about the trauma the nature has gifted them. This incidence has taught me never to crib in life for petty things. There is nothing more than living an only life that we have in a positive way. One Marathi news channel asked me what was my first feeling after experiencing an earthquake....I said in a zist.... ZINDA HOON YAAR......KAAFI HAI.