After a (prolonged) break, i am back to my elements here...
For those who haven't heard the news yet, "I fell from my bike (& of course when i was riding it :D)". May this be my brave attempt (& my sincerest hope) that this would be my final narration of the incident...err...accident.
The story goes as follows..
Last Monday (i mean 21st of June & not 28th :)) i was coming back from office as usual in my bike (i now work @ Anna Nagar). It was a normal day (meaning i started from office around 7.30 types) & i was pretty glad i had completed my self-assigned tasks for the day. I had also (almost, like always ;)) completed my preparations for the next day too.
I took the usual route home & my first wait was at the
There stood a fruit vendor besides me. I was surprised to see Guava in his cart (this isn't the season for guava, right?) & asked him "how much would a kg of guava cost?". He game me a blank look & then replied saying "they aren't guava but sweet-melon". Duh!! Even though it might seem like self-defence, there aren't any street lights there (or even if they are indeed there, they don't function well). So, in order to cover up my blunder, i asked him "what variety does the mangoes he has belonged to & how much would they cost??" He said "they were Banganapalli & 50/kg". Now i was apprehensive. My father loves them, i am not really that good at selecting mangoes (added to the truth of dim light) & the signal might turn green any moment now.
The last point won the way out & i didn't go ahead with the buying. And true to my belief, the signal turned green soon. I was on my way & the next stop was at the
Next signal is right outside CMBT entrance & there were enough policemen to mind the steady stream of buses. A sudden spark reminded me that most of them are likely to head towards
The stretch of road from there till I reach Chinmaya Nagar bridge is not that well lit. So, I generally prefer to stick to the middle (or roughly the middle) of the road hoping to catch the light from the opposite-direction-driving-vehicles. The traffic was manageable too. There were a few annoyingly fast (or in reality trying to be fast) bikers who were whirling past me. I thought better to get out of their way instead of hearing them honk and started moving towards the left of the street. Only then did I start noticing pretty wide pits (these ones were surprisingly square & a little more than ½ feet in depth) near the left end of the road. I crossed the 1st one sans any mishaps.
The second one seemed to be wider. So I moved more towards the left. That is when I noticed a King size stone (which at a first glance I judged to be the residue from the pit dug besides its resting place). I didn’t want to run over it. I curved the handle-bar more to the left & avoided dashing against it with my front-wheel. But, my back-wheel wasn’t that fortunate. There is no other way to say it but – “I fell”.
Its amazing how one can clearly recognize the finer points while not being completely ignorant of one’s surroundings. I fell to my left side & got dragged a few yards due to the vehicle’s momentum. I could see nothing other than my handle-bar’s Speedo meter, yet its reading didn’t register (I’m still wondering what it was). Some internal part pf my brain worked on automatic & I lifted my torso of the ground simultaneously switching off the vehicle with my right hand. I could hear, feel & see these factors very clearly. I was also aware (though peripherally only) of the traffic going stand-still around me, the screeching sound that my bike caused when it hit & dragged against the road, etc.
Blessedly, my bike stopped skidding further. I lay there with my left side completely on the ground & experiencing the weight of my bike on my leg. There was a searing pain from my feet (all from the left hand-side of me). I still don’t know what common sense prevailed or whether shock, I didn’t move (more importantly, didn’t want to move & fracture my leg (on which my bike was resting) in case it wasn’t already fractured).
I removed my helmet (and yes, I always were one) & my dupatta that I was wearing in my usual style (popularly known in the family as Taliban-style) & called for help. By then aid was on its way in the good number of other vehicle riders. Only when I called out asking someone to pick my bike off me, did they realise they realise it was a girl who had fallen & not a lad indeed!! This should give you a good insight into the quality of the street lights in the area.
One gentleman in the crowd made his surprise known to all by proclaiming aloud “Ladies vizhunthirukanga pa!!” (Translation: it was supposed to be, hey- it’s a girl!! But here are a few points to be noted- i was the only one involved in the accident (then why was plural form used?), is it rear to see a girl fall?? (I mean on the road) & why was there a sudden silence in the crowd following his proclamation?? (Any answers? Anyone?))
One guy took my bike off me while another one gave me a hand to boost myself up. By then, another biker started his vehicle to throw some light on the field of disaster (it sounds a trifle bad to my ears too). I stood up with some difficulty & realized I was bleeding from a number of cuts along my left & standing on both feet was difficulty because of 2 reasons viz., my feet’s top part was badly scratched, bleeding & I had lost my left foot wear in the fall.
When I mentioned it, another good soul found it for me. By then, the Saviour of my day came forward and asked me if I would like to go to the nearest hospital or call home. I opted to go directly to the hospital (I was still bleeding). He then asked me what I would like to do with my bike. To tell the truth, I was clueless. Seeing my confusion, he asked if he can leave it in the nearby petrol-bunk. Since I didn’t have a better option, I said yes. I did raise my suspicion regarding it safety though. The whole crowd assured me of its safety then.
I told him (my Angel Gabriel) I would like to take out my things from the seat cabinet & he obliged. I took out my hand-bag & lunch bag and gave him my helmet, asking him to leave it with the bike.
While he was gone, 2 other benevolent souls came forward with their miniature version of first-aid kit & offered its contents to me. My elbow was bleeding badly and a good portion of the skin was partial hanging giving an impression of a clean cavity at my elbow. The second guy was apparently the pillion-rider & was faint-hearted. He kept exclaiming about how bad the wound at my elbow was, giving a good many tortured expressions. I took their offerings and tried my best to quell the blood flow.
My Angel Gabriel came back soon & handed my keys back stating, he has told the workers at the bunk about my accident & had left it near the wheel-air-filler (I couldn't thing of a better word to describe it) area.
He then offered to take me to the hospital in his car & I got in. I introduced myself & got to know that his name is “Balamurugan” & that he works for an IT company at Villivakkam. His office was originally at Kodambakkam and has been recently shifted to its current location. I asked him if it would be advisable to leave my bike at the bunk overnight & get someone to retrieve it the next day morning. That is when he said he wouldn’t advice it & drove my through the street in which his house is present & offered to come back later, retrieve my bike and keep it at his place stating my people can go & collect it from there. To which, I said I’ll check with my people at home & take up his offer if necessary.
Across narrowing streets we journeyed (I had gotten lost once in there somewhere & even now I am, a bit apprehensive about trying those roads after dark). Enroute, Mr.Balamurugan had received a call from some relative & he told me he would go pick them up and come back after that to the hospital for me. In short order we were in the hospital.
I walked into the hospital (I still don’t know how I could manage that, I was still bleeding through all my wounds. Adrenaline perhaps..) & asked for casualty room. Being directed there, the doctor was a kind man asking if I had fallen from my bike, simultaneously proceeding to twist my elbow to work at all angles. I put a stop to his pulls by stating the obvious answer which he was looking for – “I haven’t broken any bones there”. Having said that, the nurse made short order of cleansing my elbow, with me hissing along all through it. Then she set to work on my leg. The other nurses who had gathered by then advised stating the wound on my feet would heal better if left open. I stood by their advise & agreed to leave it open.
In the middle of these proceedings my father gave me a call, startling me. He wanted to know when I was likely to get back home (it was past 8.45 then) as my uncle had come to visit us. I told him I would call back in 5 minutes and finished his call.
All my wounds were attended to (I did scrape my knee & hip too in the fall) & my T.T shot along with a pain-killer were administered shortly. I then called my father asking him not to panic & told him that I had been in an accident and I would come home after getting a T.T. shot. He asked me if he should come along to which I replied stating I would manage.
By then Mr. Balamurugan was back & I handed him what money I had to get my medicines from the pharmacy. I paid the hospital (Thank God they accept cards!!). I called my papa again asking him to have some money ready as I might not have enough to cover the pharmacy bill. I finally had to visit the casualty again to get me foot bandaged as it had started bleeding again. That accomplished we set homeward with his relative.
Just when we were about to reach my place, I asked him “how much the medicine had cost and if I owed him any money” He was casual about it stating it was nothing any only 170 (or so I heard). Having given him 200 rupees earlier, I dismissed the notion.
My father was waiting at the end of our lane for me and thanked my Gabriel. I then somehow managed to take myself up the stairs to home. Only then did my family realise the extent of my injuries and were concerned over it. I was contemplating whether to go to work the next day and on complete demand from people at home, called my PL to inform her of my current condition and also about the next day’s plight.
We discussed in length about how she would manage the next day’s demo and such. I then set to feed myself and hit the bed shortly.
Wednesday, the 23rd of June
I decided to test the water and headed to office (not without aching for every movement I made) & finally reached there. I had planned to do some cursory work to help somebody else perform the assigned work (my PL had earlier told me she would try & ask the client project team to come back on Thursday instead of Wednesday giving me a breather, but apparently the idea hadn’t worked as I found out after reaching office). In spite of the general furlong feeling, I got through with my work(more resigned than ever) & started early enough at 5.45 (original plan was to start at least by 5, like always plans like these tend to flop). By then my feet had started to swell & walking was indeed painful.
With some help from a colleague of mine, caught an auto to take me to the hospital, and picked my mom on the way. We reached the hospital I nearly limped my way into it. Ministration similar to those on Monday followed and I was advised to rest completely in order to bring the swelling down. They (I mean the people in the hospital) said my foot was swelling because I had strained it by walking too much that day.
Having finished all the dressing work, my mom went ahead to buy the medicines this time. To my surprise she rushed back sometime later telling me the medicines cost more than we expected. Only then did we take the previous bill to realise that, when Mr. Balamurugan told me it was only 170, I had misheard it as 170 instead of 117 & that the medicines had cost 317, there by he had indeed paid 117 rupees for me. We were taken aback. Mom went ahead and bough the medicines and on coming home we called him to thank him and also enquire when we can repay him. He like a gentleman he was tried to brush it aside but on insistence told he would be available on Sundays at home.
Events from the following days…..
My foot swelled more (a whole lot more than I ever expected it to) and I hopped around on my right foot for a few day (even the thought of keeping my other foot down was painful, leave alone the actual act).
I haven’t been anywhere outside the house save for my alternate-day trips to the hospital to change the dressing.
My father visited Mr.Balamuragan at his place, thanked him, returned the money he had paid for me and played some with his nearly-one-year-old daughter. He came back a happy man having done his due and charmed nevertheless by the cute toddler.
Been nearly two weeks now and have been blissfully free. Finally I am able to move around the house without too much of a hitch. I really hope this feeling of betterment lasts, as I am planning to return to work on Monday.
Thus ends the story of my days of forced-rest :)
P.S.:
As always when free and left to do nothing, I begin to feel cranky (my natural inherent energy I guess) and on one such occasion I was cribbing to a good friend. It was on her advice that this blog entry was formed (even though I scoffed at it when she did mention it). :) Thanks gal!!
Since I have nothing else to do till Monday, any suggestions on how to spend my time?? :)
