?Why didn?t you tell me about this, Laxman??
Slow paced music filled the otherwise still atmosphere. The shy sun had hid himself behind a veil of dark gray clouds that threatened to pour upon us as though with a vengeance. As every single second passed, the prospect of an impending apocalypse seemed to grow stronger and more horrid. The atmosphere was infectiously anxious. Two young men, of age sixteen, were seated, hunched against a dark rock that jut out of the ground, staring emptily at the ground.
I was sitting in front of them against another such protruding rock. The sky glared at us like a grotesque villain about to strike the final blow upon us all, the still air and the silent atmosphere disturbed slightly like the slow paced music that sounded like a bizarre tune of doom? and in this frightening and numbing tension, a young girl was asking me, with a quivering voice that shook for she strained to fight back tears that were pushing their way out of her eyes, her hand clenching mine tightly?
?Why didn?t you tell me about this, Laxman??
I opened my mouth to answer, but my throat was so dry that I couldn?t utter a word. Only a bizarre gruff gurgling sound came out. She handed over the water-bottle in her hand; I drank from it thirstily, then coughed out some and said: ?I can make it.?
That was the final straw. Those tears that she had hitherto successfully held back, got the better of her. Like water pours out of a dam, they burst out, wetting her soft, rosy cheeks. Hastily, she tried wiping them off. I looked up at her, then at the two companions who were watching like passive spectators to the final moments of a dying lover, and then up at her again. More than myself, I thought, this angel is in pain! Someone console her!
For a long while, there was none who could have said or done anything to console her. Then, as more time passed, and the music that was slow and soft seem to pierce into our ears like the horrible music of the Devil and as the clouds that were playing advocatus diaboli grew darker and glared ever more angrily at us, and as the hitherto frozen atmosphere was shaken with a deafening crack of thunder? it was then that finally, I amassed strength enough to rise on my feet and say, without having to gulp water and cough out some:
?Let?s move?.
# # #
Back in 2003, just after my class 10 exams, my three cousins-two brothers and a sister- vacationed to Punchmarhi, a wonderful hill-station set in the magnificent Satpura. We were with my uncle. It was pure fun?
Until we ate at a restaurant, whose name I choose not to divulge.
It is common knowledge that the most unwise thing someone can do is to not drink mineral water at a popular hill station while vacationing during the season. With all water resources under pressure around that time, all sorts of infections lurk in it. And, the imbecile that I am, I did exactly that?forgot to call for mineral one morning.
I awoke earlier than others that morning and fancied a cup of coffee alone, in the silent solitude disturbed only by the soft patter of rain-drops on the asbestos roof of the restaurant. And before I knew it, I had gulped down two or three glasses of water?drinking so much water was a customary habit for me since my yoga-instructor had advised me to do so.
Probably triggered by that particular dose of infected water, the infections already hiding inside of me dared to come out in the open. I had a disturbed and precarious stomach that day, which, by evening, had deteriorated into a mild attack of dysentery, so that with all the physical exertion and therefore food intake coupled with this sudden bout of illness, I had a temperature that night. With all the brains within me functioning at bare minimum efficiency, I chose to keep my discomfort to myself that night, having nobody to share the room with.
By next morning, I had somewhat recovered and not had to rush to the washing cabinet for the night, and when the five of us?that is to say, my three cousins, my uncle and I?ambled across the slippery footpath into the restaurant for tea, my insides began demanding for something to be put in them. Everyone knows that when the stomach begins to ask for food after a bout of upset stomach, it means it?s come back to normal functioning again. Having had my spirits raised greatly by this sudden surge of health inside me, I seem to come back to my senses, and, without being asked to, decided to limit my breakfast to coffee and hot bread with only little butter.
Fortunately, nobody noticed this sudden change in my breakfast menu that usually comprised of something more sumptuous.
And with this background, the four of us kids set off for a cycling trip into the ?unknown? areas of the countryside. Having had to use the bathroom over a dozen times, with only a couple of slices of bread inside of me and only three liters of mineral water to sustain life, it?s apocalypse invited. Out of severe dehydration, I collapsed on the way on a rather dry patch. The events after which are needless to describe.
# # #
The Review
Disaster could have been prevented that day had I used some of the advice my father?an awfully experienced traveler?about medicines to be carried on any trip religiously like underwear. Let me give you his words instead of mine:
:: Never forget to carry medicines for stomach upset. Of all the maladies that can strike you on a journey, the most intolerable and the most discomforting is an upset stomach. Not only is it discomforting, it severely restricts mobility, dehydrates you and with that brings you to the brink of weakness and then you can contract all infections available. You can forget underwear, but never forget this. Even if you can?t get any where you are, you can live on. But if you?re caught with upset stomach without medicines, god save you.
:: Never forget antibiotics and Quinine (check spelling. I mean to name the anti-malarial). A good antibiotic can check temperature and ensure you get safely to a place where medical aid is available and, more importantly, trustworthy. Malaria is our country?s greatest threat. Everywhere you go, specially to hill-stations, mosquitoes will dog you like your desperate lovers, reach to you and kiss you at every opportunity. I don?t think their touch turns anybody on. Me, for one, am severely turned off by them, particularly by Miss Anopheles.
:: It might not occur to you as obvious but anti-septic formulas are absolute essentials. One can?t really rule out the possibility of injury no matter where we go. It?s not only smart, but also advisable, to have antiseptics with yourself so that even if there aren?t any available around you, you can secure your injuries with a good wash till you get to a trustworthy doctor. Worse comes to worse, you might need painkillers. Do carry them with you. Remember: life is hard and life is earnest, he who can save himself can reach the farthest!
(Yeah, I made up the punch line).
:: If you?re allergic to something, keep the anti-allergen with you. It pays. Immensely.
:: And remember. Whatever happens, tell your fellow-travelers about it. Two heads are better than one. That leads logically to this adversaries?carry two fellow-passengers so that you do have two heads!
Please do follow the remaining part up in the comments section!
