What can I do in times like this?
Its days like these that remind me how utterly insignificant my existence is in the larger scheme of things
Chronicles of the eve:
Left the office at 6:15 (was scheduled to go to Pune on the 12th so wanted to leave a little early). Answered a business call from a colleague and made a mental note to make another call as follow up. Was on SV rd by about 6:25 when the RJ announced unconfirmed reports of ‘some blast’ at Mahim in a train. My 1st reaction: “silly irresponsible Indian press probably exaggerating a small accident and possibly spreading panic. Pvt radio channels arnt even supposed to report news”. Turned on to Goregaon flyover only to see quite a few people looking over the flyover towards Goregaon. My 2nd reaction: “92.5 got the location wrong, its probably Goregaon not Mahim and looks more like some morcha or dharna”. Got to the Goregaon stn rd (surprisingly quickly, by 6:30). By then the radio had actually been able to get a live witness from the train in Mahim to call in and recount the tragedy that had befallen the 1st class coach on that train. Also saw a lot people heading from the stn towards the highway. My 3rd reaction: “Shucks, trains probably going slow, poor folks”. People seemed to have a slightly worried look on their faces. Got to the highway (6:40). Was amazed to see the density of rickshaws on the expressway (not a common phenomena). This coupled with reports that kept trickling in seemed to suggest the gravity of the calamity. Huge jam at the turnoff under Andheri bridge (vehicles headed further south and using the bridge largely unaffected though and so my journey was not affected; was there by 6:50). My 4th reaction: “Andheri comes to a standstill no matter what happens. The place is a trap”. Traffic seemed slightly slow at the airport signal, but again wasn’t held up there for longer than I usually would. Progressed to Bandra (7:00). Was again truly amazed at the nos of vehicles on the rd. For some reason the southbound traffic was moving along smoothly and did not experience any bottlenecks. Got to the Bandra flyover (7:10 – 7:15). The 1st msgs; enquiring of wellbeing; started trickling in. My only response at that point was “En-route home”. Was again able to witness the extent of load on the roads at the Mahim causeway turnoff. Again by Gods grace did not affect me personally. The Bandra streets are normally pretty clogged in the eve and it easily takes about 20 mins to get home from the new flyover. On the day got home in about 7 to 10 mins. Turned into our apt at about 7:25. Home in an hour and 10, frankly very good going.
Those of us who drive daily in this city agree that there are essentially 2 traffic patterns in this city: 1) the mng flow that comprises office / school going population. Given the urgency to reach respective destinations the traffic is reasonably orderly, accommodating and continuously moving. 2) The eve chaos that includes people getting back home, shoppers, revelers, general public and whatever else there is in the city. Probably no urgency, disorganized to a level that makes you want to tear your hair out and completely unaccommodating. No one will give you an inch. On this eve though the mold was broken and everyone was probably focused on getting home. The route I took behaved very similar and probably better than what I typically experience in the mng.
The news got progressively worse. The magnitude of the disaster became all the more evident once I saw the images on TV. Felt utterly helpless. My 1st priority at this point was to ascertain the wellbeing of team and friends. While the n/w were clogged, some msgs were trickling in. A lot of my team mates use the train. Sent out msgs (again good fortune, was able to send out msgs to all) to all team mates asking status and whereabouts. By about 8:00 most had replied with the exception of 2. These 2 were able to reach out to us by 10:00 and 12:00. Was also tracking friends. Most pals are on Hutch and I knew that we will have POI issues. Sent msgs, most of which were received at 2:00am (my apologies for disturbing you on a trying day). People either called or msgd same day / next day. Also relayed wellbeing to Airtel friends from Delhi. GPRS was working and was able to see some mails on the berry.
That’s what happened in my eve. Life is too short for any of us to want this to happen again in our lifespan. The helplessness however lingers. Hate to sound negative, but while this may not happen, natural and manmade tragedies will occur. So what can I do, if something like this recurs? Trying to pen down some thoughts:
1) Maintain composure and try to get to the closest safe-house. Dont contribute to the strain on the infra.
2) If I have the good fortune to be traveling in a vehicle that can accommodate more, must try to help by ferrying people. Would encourage the authorities to identify and man pick up points to assist victims. Would be happy to volunteer.
3) Rely on broadcast news. Try to minimize use of cellular networks. Will share a dgm explaining why networks will always choke in such situations. It’s a good practice to try and use the n/w once things have cooled down a bit.
Would appreciate your help in penning down some more actionables. On the next mng my cab for Pune arrived. Got in and drove down. Heard Sting on the way. Will leave you with the lyrics from fragile:
If blood will flow when flesh and steel are one
Drying in the color of the evening sun
Tomorrow's rain will wash the stains away
But something in our minds will always stay
Perhaps this final act was meant
To clinch a lifetime's argument
That nothing comes from violence
and nothing ever could
For all those born beneath an angry star
Lest we forget how fragile we are
On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are
How fragile we are
On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are
How fragile we are
Chronicles of the eve:
Left the office at 6:15 (was scheduled to go to Pune on the 12th so wanted to leave a little early). Answered a business call from a colleague and made a mental note to make another call as follow up. Was on SV rd by about 6:25 when the RJ announced unconfirmed reports of ‘some blast’ at Mahim in a train. My 1st reaction: “silly irresponsible Indian press probably exaggerating a small accident and possibly spreading panic. Pvt radio channels arnt even supposed to report news”. Turned on to Goregaon flyover only to see quite a few people looking over the flyover towards Goregaon. My 2nd reaction: “92.5 got the location wrong, its probably Goregaon not Mahim and looks more like some morcha or dharna”. Got to the Goregaon stn rd (surprisingly quickly, by 6:30). By then the radio had actually been able to get a live witness from the train in Mahim to call in and recount the tragedy that had befallen the 1st class coach on that train. Also saw a lot people heading from the stn towards the highway. My 3rd reaction: “Shucks, trains probably going slow, poor folks”. People seemed to have a slightly worried look on their faces. Got to the highway (6:40). Was amazed to see the density of rickshaws on the expressway (not a common phenomena). This coupled with reports that kept trickling in seemed to suggest the gravity of the calamity. Huge jam at the turnoff under Andheri bridge (vehicles headed further south and using the bridge largely unaffected though and so my journey was not affected; was there by 6:50). My 4th reaction: “Andheri comes to a standstill no matter what happens. The place is a trap”. Traffic seemed slightly slow at the airport signal, but again wasn’t held up there for longer than I usually would. Progressed to Bandra (7:00). Was again truly amazed at the nos of vehicles on the rd. For some reason the southbound traffic was moving along smoothly and did not experience any bottlenecks. Got to the Bandra flyover (7:10 – 7:15). The 1st msgs; enquiring of wellbeing; started trickling in. My only response at that point was “En-route home”. Was again able to witness the extent of load on the roads at the Mahim causeway turnoff. Again by Gods grace did not affect me personally. The Bandra streets are normally pretty clogged in the eve and it easily takes about 20 mins to get home from the new flyover. On the day got home in about 7 to 10 mins. Turned into our apt at about 7:25. Home in an hour and 10, frankly very good going.
Those of us who drive daily in this city agree that there are essentially 2 traffic patterns in this city: 1) the mng flow that comprises office / school going population. Given the urgency to reach respective destinations the traffic is reasonably orderly, accommodating and continuously moving. 2) The eve chaos that includes people getting back home, shoppers, revelers, general public and whatever else there is in the city. Probably no urgency, disorganized to a level that makes you want to tear your hair out and completely unaccommodating. No one will give you an inch. On this eve though the mold was broken and everyone was probably focused on getting home. The route I took behaved very similar and probably better than what I typically experience in the mng.
The news got progressively worse. The magnitude of the disaster became all the more evident once I saw the images on TV. Felt utterly helpless. My 1st priority at this point was to ascertain the wellbeing of team and friends. While the n/w were clogged, some msgs were trickling in. A lot of my team mates use the train. Sent out msgs (again good fortune, was able to send out msgs to all) to all team mates asking status and whereabouts. By about 8:00 most had replied with the exception of 2. These 2 were able to reach out to us by 10:00 and 12:00. Was also tracking friends. Most pals are on Hutch and I knew that we will have POI issues. Sent msgs, most of which were received at 2:00am (my apologies for disturbing you on a trying day). People either called or msgd same day / next day. Also relayed wellbeing to Airtel friends from Delhi. GPRS was working and was able to see some mails on the berry.
That’s what happened in my eve. Life is too short for any of us to want this to happen again in our lifespan. The helplessness however lingers. Hate to sound negative, but while this may not happen, natural and manmade tragedies will occur. So what can I do, if something like this recurs? Trying to pen down some thoughts:
1) Maintain composure and try to get to the closest safe-house. Dont contribute to the strain on the infra.
2) If I have the good fortune to be traveling in a vehicle that can accommodate more, must try to help by ferrying people. Would encourage the authorities to identify and man pick up points to assist victims. Would be happy to volunteer.
3) Rely on broadcast news. Try to minimize use of cellular networks. Will share a dgm explaining why networks will always choke in such situations. It’s a good practice to try and use the n/w once things have cooled down a bit.
Would appreciate your help in penning down some more actionables. On the next mng my cab for Pune arrived. Got in and drove down. Heard Sting on the way. Will leave you with the lyrics from fragile:
If blood will flow when flesh and steel are one
Drying in the color of the evening sun
Tomorrow's rain will wash the stains away
But something in our minds will always stay
Perhaps this final act was meant
To clinch a lifetime's argument
That nothing comes from violence
and nothing ever could
For all those born beneath an angry star
Lest we forget how fragile we are
On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are
How fragile we are
On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are
How fragile we are
penned by Sanjay at 2:50 PM
2 Comments:
ready network when checking on friends/family/colleagues - create chain of msgs so that missing link identified if any, and min strain on network, when last msg comes back to you, u know loop completed. we did use that on email (noops, chops, u n me)this time. same thing during 26/7 last yr, remember?
Very good idea. Will keep in mind.
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