“Deepu, look who has come to see you” my mother called out just to check that I have resumed my senses as I lay in ICU ward of the Sahara Hospital.
It was my fifth semester exams during my engineering days. I have been consistently at position II for past four semesters. Usually our semester exams were late by a month than my friend’s who were studying outside hometown. It was there semester break & they were back in town to ruin mine.
Rama, one of my best friend’s friend, had also come to Gwalior with him. As he was new to the gang, he deserved a party. It didn’t matter that my exams were On. We don’t have any time to party with friends. Every time is a Party-time. It was 7 in the evening when we left for Rituraj. Rituraj was a dhaba, located in the outskirts of Gwalior at Gwalior-Agra highway. It was famous for three reasons :
- Students like to go out-of-town for parties as no known person came there to see them drinking.
- Food at dhabas is really awesome, always.
- There were only two at the outskirts of Gwalior, another being Choudhary Dhaba.
We reached there bang on time to have a party-like atmosphere with mercury level dripping a little bit too make things cool. We had drinks with usual funda of DRINK. Ohh sorry, I didn’t introduce you with DRINK funda. DRINK itself is an acronym described by some great artist as:
D: Domestic Peg: Usual lines are “how’s everybody at home”, “I have this work to do back home” etc.
R: Romantic Peg: Usual lines are “I love her bhai”, “I miss her”, “How’s that girl” etc.
I: Intellectual Peg: Usual lines are “You know these politicians are so corrupt”, “Hey we can together start a business”, “What are views on this” etc.
N: Notorious Peg: Usual lines are “How’s our bhabhi”, “What’s between you & her” etc.
K: King peg: Usual lines are “You are my brother”, “Just tell me, I will set all things right”, “Who told you anything, just tell me the name”, “Do you have any tension brother” etc.
As party was going, I suddenly got reminded of my semester exam of “Computer graphics” which was day-after-tomorrow. It was 10:30pm by then. I stood up to leave, my friends resisting. But there are more things in life than to have drinks with friends. I left the place on my bike: Pulsar, so as to reach home by 11pm & study something.
“Deepu, look who has come to see you” my mother called out just to check that I have resumed my senses as I lay in ICU ward of the Sahara Hospital. For two days I had been in ICU unconscious. I had a hair-line head fracture, a broken shoulder, some serious face injuries & some bruises. My school friends, college friends, relatives, uncles & all had visited me to know my well-being. I was unaware of all these things happening around me. Suddenly I got a glimpse of date calendar behind mom & it said “26Th May”. “Ohh shit, Today is my semester exam for Computer graphics” I recollected. But it was too late I guess. All my batch-mates had gathered outside the Hospital directly from College after giving the Exam. It was all over.
I left from Rituraj to be at home to study for exam. The wind was beautiful & I was enjoying the ride singing songs on the way. Soon I realized that it had been over DRINK funda as I struggled to keep me awake & reach home. As I feared, I got to know after 2days that I met with an accident that day with my bike skidding, giving terrible sparks – as told by a spectator “Pappu, Dhaba wala”.
Pappu saw my bike in all sparks & thought that it will blow. Fortunately enough, it stopped skidding with me laying on main Gwalior-Agra highway unconscious. Thanks to Pappu for getting me beside the road, for if he wouldn’t have been there then surely in 15-20minutes more some vehicle would have taken my life away. He searched my pockets & called at the last dialed number from my mobile – “Ghar”.
“Hello, this bike MP07 2160, has met with an accident & I am calling from the mobile of this unconscious boy”, Pappu said. As my father heard this, there was a chaos all around with he calling my friends with whom I was out, shouting at them. They too sprang into action as they cruised their car at the maximum to reach the accident spot. Looking at my blood-all-over condition, first thing which they ever did right was to rush me to the Sahara Hospital some 5Km away, with me reaching there within 3 counted minutes.
I had been in ICU for 2days unconscious. I had my shoulder broken. I had a hair-line fracture in my head which unfortunately could have caused me anything deadly. I missed my semester Exam that semester. I made my parents suffer for whole lot of days. They had undergone a real trauma during these days. I ruined my image among all my relatives. I was shamed of myself & couldn’t face my parents for months.
Though I recovered, but it left me thinking – “DRINK vs. EVERYTHING : Who Won?”
DON’T DRINK
& if you do: DON’T DRINK & DRIVE