Category Archives: Disaster

A calamitous event, especially one occurring suddenly and causing great loss of life, damage, hardship or drastic change in environment, either man made or natural, business failure etc.

Celebration, Culture, Disaster, Family, Festival, Friends, Religion

Diwali 2012 at Allahabad

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Jit left for Baghdad to resume his duties. Babai left a week before Jit. Naturally, I would be feeling very sad, so Jit planned for my visit to Allahabad to my parent’s house for 10 days, so that I can attend Diwali, Kali Puja and Bhai phota there.

My college friend – Lakshmi

Boudi and I spent the Kali puja night at the Kalibari as this puja begins around midnight and it continues until it’s almost dawn. We also visited the house of my aunt – Kakima and cousin brother. We also went to see a horror movie in one of the nights – 1920 Evil Returns. I also met my college friend Lakshmi, who also stays in Allahabad. Boudi and I went to her house to meet her and then to the house of Babua, brother of Boudi.

Lost my Debit Card!

We went to Civil Lines area for some shopping and dining. As I was to pay at the shop, I found my HDFC Bank Debit card missing. OMG! I last used it at an ATM of HDFC Bank two days ago. May be I misplaced it there. I paid at the shop in cash. I felt damn disastrous.

We rushed to that ATM but the guard said that no card was found there. He also checked the register. Next day was Diwali and so it’s a bank holiday too. We went to the HDFC Bank. The officer was a nice gentleman. He advised that it was too late for him to do anything and advised us to call him on the next day after Diwali. We went to him in the morning. He checked his records and found that there was no such card reported lost so far. He then helped me to hotlist the debit card and immediately issued me a new Platinum debit card, which would be activated after 48 hours.

Bhai-phota

Diwali is a five-day festival starting with Dhanteras and ending with Bhai Dooj or Bhai phota. I could not realize how the days went by and the last day of Diwali came. The last of Diwali celebrations is the day dedicated to the bond between brothers and sisters. On this day known variously as bhai dooj, bhai phota, sisters pray for the long life of their brothers, by performing the ‘tika’ (red mark on the forehead) ceremony. In return brothers give gifts to them. It’s a day of bonding for brothers and sisters.

Maa & Baba

The origin of the festival is not too clear but popular legend says that after killing the demon, Narkasur, Lord Krishna visited his sister Subhadra, who welcomed him with sweets and flowers. She also applied ‘tika’ on his forehead. Another legend says that when Lord Yama (God of death) visited his sister Yamuna, she applied a ‘tika’ on his forehead and offered him sweets and special dishes. The day is also known as Yama Dwitiya.

I performed bhai phota for dada and my other two cousins. We had a party at our house yesterday on the occasion of Bhai phota. It’s a family affair. Also, Babua, brother of Boudi joined us with his family.

I am leaving for Ranchi today as I have to attend a wedding near Kolkata on Sunday. I am feeling sad to leave my parents. The elder daughter Monika of our “gurubon” Nupurdi is getting married on Sunday. Nurpurdi and we have common guru.

I am planning to visit Allahabad again in February 2013 to participate in the Maha Kumbh Mela with Jit and Babai. I hope that the God will make everything possible as we are planning.

Disaster, Nature

Tremor hits Sikkim on earthquake anniversary

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A 4.1 magnitude earthquake hit Sikkim today exactly a year after an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale causing widespread devastation, killing around 80 people and leaving about 350 injured. Coincidentally, today’s tremors were felt within 15 minutes of the time of last year’s earthquake. It seems that the Mother Nature was observing the earthquake anniversary!

I was sleeping on my bed in my hostel room on the 9th floor at SMIMS. Suddenly, I felt that my bed was tossed up. I jumped out of my bed and started running down the stairs to the ground. I found my friends there and we all are safe!

I was panting then. I called my mom to inform her about the earthquake. My mom and dad called me to know the details. They were naturally worried for me.

There are no reports yet of any loss of life or damage to property as a result of the earthquake. Thank God, it was moderate this time!

Candlelight vigils were planned in Sikkim in memory of the last year earthquake victims at several places. We also had a candlelight vigil at our SMIMS in the evening.

Disaster, Friends

There was no power in the evening!!

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Today at around 4.45 pm, the power went off. We have 24 hour generator backup at our residence, it being inside the office compound.

Normally the generator starts almost immediately. Today also it was to start almost immediately, but it didn’t. I waited for it for sometime but it didn’t. It is a bit unusual. I went out of the bed room to our living room and peeped out of the window and saw our technicians are working on it. So, I thought it may start early as people are working on it. Little did I know then that it may take 5 long hours in the hot summer evening!

We had some coffee and still power was not restored. So, we went up to the roof. I missed watching the Iraq-Oman World Cup 2014 qualifier match. Luckily, the security people were listening to the commentary on radio, but it was in Arabic. However, from the flow of the commentary and the reactions of the listeners I could manage to gauge the pace of the match.

Slowly, the day turned into night and still there was no sign of power. We went down near the gate. All other residents – Faris Kamal, Abdulkhaliq Muhtasib, Faisal Shinde and Ahmed Zaki were also there. We were gossiping there standing near the gate of the compound while waiting for the technicians to fix the problems. They, in fact serviced almost the entire things replacing many switches and cables.

At last, they fixed the problems and power was restored around 9.45 pm. We returned to our homes. Then we cooked our dinner. It’s almost 4 hours that we were on our feet standing and waiting for the power.

Well, it’s all well that ends well. The power is restored now and hopefully we can sleep peacefully under air-conditioners in night. Also, it was good that we all were out in the evening and having a nice gossip. This normally doesn’t happen here. We talked about many things, excepting the bank, of course.

Disaster, Weird

Was the Titanic destined to disaster?

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Fourteen years before the unsinkable ship went down a novelist, Morgan Robertson, wrote a book called Futility. This fictitious story revolved around a huge (at that time) imaginary vessel hitting an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean on a cold April night. The massive ship in the storyline was named Titan and the real ship Titanic, which had not even been built then, were eerily similar in design and their ends as grisly.

Although the novel was written before RMS Titanic had even been designed, there are some remarkable similarities between the fictional and real-life counterparts. Like the Titanic, the fictional ship sank in April in the North Atlantic, and there were not enough lifeboats for the passengers. There are also similarities between the size (800 ft long for Titan versus 882 ft 9 in long for the Titanic, speed (25 knots for Titan, 21 knots for Titanic) and life-saving equipment. The Titanic struck an iceberg on the starboard side on the night of April 14, 1912 in the North Atlantic 400 miles away from Newfoundland. And on an April night, in the North Atlantic 400 miles from Newfoundland (Terranova), the Titan hit an iceberg also on the starboard side.

Truth is stranger than fiction, in deed!

Disaster

Titanic still captures imagination 100 years on

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When I hear the word “Titanic,” I picture a tuxedoed Leonardo DiCaprio, waiting at the bottom of a gilded staircase while the voice of Celine Dion swells in my mind. And then I quickly remember that the ship sinks, and that Titanic is more than just an epic film.

A century since the grandest liner ever built sank into icy water on its maiden voyage with the loss of more than 1,500 lives, the legend of the Titanic still captivates the imagination the world over. The story of the so-called unsinkable ship RMS Titanic, which went down on April 15, 1912, en route from Southampton, England to New York, after hitting an iceberg, remains a fascinating tale, laced with luxury, industrial achievement, disaster, heroism, bravery and unspeakable horror. It started its fateful journey on April 10, 1912.

When Titanic vanished below the waves it was not the end of the story but the beginning of a century of fascination at such an unimaginable tale. But why is this tragedy the subject of so many tributes and celebrations? There have been other disasters, maritime and otherwise, from the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915 to the crash of the Challenger space shuttle in 1986. None has quite been memorialized and feted as the Titanic.

May be people are still fascinated by Titanic because it was a microcosm of society at that time. Also, the Titanic story fascinates because it is a symbol of human power and arrogance being humbled and broken.

Disaster

Deadly bombings rock Baghdad today

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A wave of apparently co-ordinated 14 explosions struck during the height of morning rush hour in Baghdad, has killed around 60 people and injured nearly 200, as reported by various news agencies.

The bomb attacks are the worst in months and follow the withdrawal of US troops, which may be a mere coincidence. Some of my bank colleagues escaped the explosions while coming to the bank in the morning. They were lucky as the bombs exploded just after they crossed the location. One explosion was quite close to our bank and it shook the doors and windows.

Iraq’s year-old power-sharing government is in turmoil after an arrest warrant was issued this week for Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi on terror charges. These seemingly coordinated explosions are raising fears about the security situations in the country amid political upheaval that threatens to undo Iraq’s government.

I strongly condemn any type of terrorist attacks that targets innocent men, women, and children. May the soul of the dead victims rest in peace and the wounded victims recover soon.

Disaster, Family, Nature, Travel

Earthquake jolts Sikkim

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A severe earthquake rocked Sikkim on Sunday evening resulting in at least 20 deaths and injuries to several others. The earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale which hit the east and Northeast region, was the biggest in 20 years. The epicentre of the quake was 64 km from Gangtok in Sikkim, causing major damages in the area. Aftershocks measuring 6.1 and 5.3 on the Richter Scale were also felt around Sikkim 20 minutes after the earthquake. This is the fourth earthquake in India in this current month of September 2011. Three earlier earthquakes hit Manipur, Haryana and Gujarat in September 2011.

There were also reports of landslides following the earthquake in areas around Sikkim and also Darjeeling. It was raining heavily since yesterday and this has made the situation worse. Two major landslides have been reported from Sikkim’s capital, Gangtok cutting off the National Highway. Several buildings have also been damaged in Gangtok. Mobile connectivity and power supply have also been affected in the quake-hit areas.

I was very much tense and worried for Jaya and Babai. They were traveling to Gangtok. As I sat with lunch after returning from office at around 4.00 pm Baghdad time, I opened the TV and saw the breaking news. I forgot my lunch and started calling both Jaya and Babai. The line was busy and no call could be established. I sent sms and it was delivered! But, still there was no response. In the evening I felt relaxed when I received a short call from Jaya and Babai that they are safe in a hotel in Siliguri. The quake caused the network and power black-outs. The same was also being reported in the TV but I was tense as I was not getting any info.

Thank God that Jaya and Babai are safe. Let us pray that people of Sikkim are safe. It’s truly the gorgeous part of India.

Disaster

Mumbai attacked again, what for?

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The serial bomb blast attacks again on Mumbai, yesterday, were not only cowardly but also very dastardly acts. It is only a human being amongst all the animals can do like this on its own species. This is hardly known what objectives do such acts accomplish!

It is said that the date 13 is probably some code for a terrorist group called Indian Mujahideen. Their attacks have been on 13th days of the months! No religion of the world propagates killing of innocent people. These are possible only at the height of insanity. Such acts are a shame on the people or the group of people who planned it and executed it.

My heart bleeds for the poor family members of the victims and also for those who were hurt in these blasts. May the Almighty give them the strength to overcome the grief, the shock and the pain. May the God also give some sanity to those who masterminded these attacks and executed them. Also, Indian government needs to be extra vigilant to avoid such mishaps. Security lapses must be investigated and the necessary steps should be taken immediately to prevent such incidents.

Disaster

Terror attacks on TBI

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There were twin suicidal car bomb attacks on the Head Office of Trade Bank of Iraq, Baghdad at around 11.00 am today.

We were at the basement of the building. As usual, it was a normal business day, being the first day of the week. Suddenly, there was a huge explosion and false ceilings and facades started falling down, glasses started flying and people started crying, shrieking out of fear.

Shattered office

By the time, we could find out the cause, the second explosion occurred.

Devastated building of TBI Head Office

There were two suicidal car bombs that hit the blast walls outside the Bank premises on the road. Some said that bomb may be loaded in some cars parked there. Nobody has yet claimed the responsibility.

Cars destroyed in the blast

Thank God, we all are safe. However, 5 poor guards were killed in these explosions. I feel sad for their family members and condole their untimely death. The news agencies reported death of 26 people and injury to over 50 people, who were around there. It’s a busy thoroughfare.

Suddenly the bank became a heap of dust and debris.

Shattered department

We all rushed out of the bank and our bank’s security men drove us  to our home for safety.

Disaster, Family, Travel

Ranchi to Hazaribagh

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On the day of Diwali eve, we set for Hazaribagh from Ranchi. My uncle & Aunt-in law stay there. We started in my Maruti car. We had traveled to far off places like Kolkata, Puri, Allahabad, Lucknow in that same car. It never gave me any trouble.

But on that fateful evening, we were faced with lots of obstacles. The distance of Hazaribagh from Ranchi is barely 100 km. As we reached Ramgarh about 45 km from Ranchi, we found that the right rear tyre was flat. Somehow, managed to find a puncture shop and got the puncture fixed. We started after waiting there for about 1/2 hour. Then at Ranchi Road, the tyre burst. I got the stepney changed and moved forward.

After another 25 km, near Mandu the stepney burst. We heard crackers bursting sounds but unfortunately, it was my same tyre. It was pretty dark by that. Most of the shops were closed or are open with very dim lights. Still, with the grace of the Almighty, we could locate a puncture shop. We were utterly helpless as there was no more spare tyre with us. But that man was like an Angel to us. He managed two old tyres and new tubes as replacements. We got the tyre and the stepney changed and moved from there after almost one hour uttering “Jai Guru”. With His grace, we could reach Hazaribagh at 9:30 pm, covering a distance of 100 km in 5 hours!!

We thanked the Almighty and our Guru to save us from the difficulties by helping us to locate the puncture shops and the Puncture Shop at an obscure place like Mandu at that odd hour with old radial tyres as replacements so that we can move on.