28 hours on NH 113 - a different sunrise
"What do you mean by accept people and situations as they are?" a participant asked in a course I was teaching.
I said - keeping your mind calm under any situation and then doing what you need to do.
On
May 1, en-route Walong, Arunachal Pradesh we were met with a landslide
and road block in NH113 near Tehuliyang. This was because of heavy,
unexpected and incessant rains.
We waited for sometime and
decided that the safer option was to retreat to the origin (Khupa). After coming
back a few kilometers, we saw that the road that we had passed an hour
back was now flooded with water up-to many feet.
There was no way to go further. We were trapped. It was afternoon and rain was pouring.
No mobile network.
The road clearing work could not start till the weather improved.
It was beginning to get dark.
We had children and senior citizen in-laws accompanying us.
Other than some light snacks for munching we did not have any food.
If everything had gone per plan, we would have witnessed the first sunrise of India, in the stunning Dong valley the next morning.
Instead here we were - sitting in our car as the sun was setting - not knowing how and when we would get out of the place. Safely.
Scenes on the highway just before sunset
The
place was pitch dark after sunset (6pm). We slept in our car through the
night as rains battered the earth, lightning gleamed in the sky, and
thunder roared.
The continuous loud snoring of our driver in the car was irritating but also added some humor to the situation.
I
could only hope and pray that my kids and in-laws in the car parked
nearby were safe and sound as there was no way to call over phone and
check.
The night eventually passed and morning was a relief as it brought sunlight and halt to the rains.
The skies cleared.
Nearby villagers offered tea and one of them let us prepare Maggi in their kitchen.
Breakfast handled.
Our
driver talked to the local villagers and convinced them to prepare a
simple vegetarian lunch (rice, lentils, fried potato) at their home and
serve it to us near the car.
(In a matter of fact way he also casually mentioned to us that once he got stuck on a highway for 4 days.)
We had the whole day to us to take
long walks on the highway. I sat on the highway and read a book. My
mother in-law put her yoga mat on the highway and practiced some asanas (postures).
The
stretch of highway which was completely deserted at night was bustling
with the activity of the local villagers during day time.
We got reports that the road repair work was going on and there were chances for it to be completed by evening.
Around 1 pm we had the lunch served to us near our vehicle and it was good.
Post
lunch we rested for a while the drivers went to en-quire about the
condition of the road. They came back with the news that the work was
almost complete and around 5 pm - after 28 hours of being stuck on the highway - we got the clearance to proceed.
We gradually drove through the affected areas and watched the damage around us with a silent prayer on the lips. There were multiple JCBs
still working to clear the path. The road was blocked not
in one but 5 places. That's why it probably took so many hours, people and machinery
to make it motor-able again.
We were disappointed that we couldn't go to Dong valley to witness the
sunrise. At the same time we were relieved to be safe, felt grateful for the kindness showed by the villagers, and
in awe of the phenomenal work done by the workers in clearing the road.
After the adventure ended, I recalled what I had told the course participant few days back; which best summarized how we got through the 28 hours of uncertainty:
"Keeping your mind calm under any situation and doing what you need to do."
~S~
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