Sunday, September 6, 2009

Its an Earthquake!

The first earthquake I faced was when I was 4-5 years old. Well, the truth is I heard that I faced the earthquake, but I don’t remember anything.

At that time I used to live at Raigunj, North Dinajpur. I was taking my afternoon nap. My father’s friend Maity uncle was supposed to come to repair our TV. Later I heard that there was an earthquake that afternoon and while everybody was busy screaming and being stunned Maity uncle carried me out of the house into the courtyard. Being a very sound sleeper I naturally don’t remember anything of it. But everybody verified it to be true…so it must be.

The second time I faced an earthquake…….well I was sleeping then too. But this time I had the decency to wake up with the quake (I guess I am getting old, I don’t sleep such soundly anymore).

It was around 2-2.30 at night, I was sleeping after a long and tiring journey. I was also suffering from fever, though no one knew that at home! I was on the bed and my parents were sleeping on the floor, when I felt the bed shake. Now, I’ve felt beds shaken many times before thanks to my upbringing in many different places. There was this place at kalyani where the whole building used to shake when any heavy truck moved by the Highway beside.

So, when I felt the bed shaking beneath me and I woke up, I couldn’t decide it was a just a bad dream or realty. It took me few precious seconds to realize that it was for real. By then the quake has stopped. I thought about getting up and enquiring but then decided to finish the sleep first!! Just before drifting to mind-numbing sleep again, I heard father asking our neighbors if they felt anything.

Next morning news told us the details, that a heavy intensity earthquake has struck at Indonesia and what we felt was just a jolt! I later wondered, if a jolt was powerful enough to shake a three-story building like a cheap wooden table then what the real deal would have done!! I really don’t want to know that!