Yesterday evening we left office at 6:20. Cool breeze was flowing so decided to keep the windows open in the 3 km long deserted stretch of road in the campus . Suddenly Vinod noticed some black smoke fast approaching and said,"Look back, some smoke is approaching". I turned back and to my surprise a black wall was approaching us which was around 700 m behind. I asked vinod for the camera but he ignored me and increased the speed of the car anticipating big trouble. Fortunately for me, Vinod's mobile was lying in the middle and I grabed that and took some pictures in what ever position I was. It didnt capture the deadliness of the storm but just gives a feel of it. Vinod was speeding the car to cover the ramaining distance without any mishap as we were passing below High Tension Lines.
While we exited from the campus and were near the nearest shelter (AFRI quarters) on main road, strom actually caught us. Within seconds to our surprise it became pitched dark all around. Being a die hard HP fan, I remembered Harry Potter's first book where Dumeldore makes every thing dark by put outer. The sun light vanished like puf...... Visibility reduced to absolute zero and we were within a very big ' Bavandar' or a mini twister you can say.
The scenes from movie twister staretd dancing before me and virtually the wind has pressure to out turn our car. With Gods grace we could turn to near by colony by finding the entarnce gate with great difficulty and parked the car. We were so frightned that we could not sit inside car. In the pitched dark (More than what we observe at night) we came out and faced the gushing wind and sand storm. It continued for 20 minutes. Darkness went after about 12 minutes but the fury continued for 40 minutes or so.
Naturally the house was full of sand and it took almost four hours to bring the house back to some shape. I first time felt the full fury of nature yesterday.
Others too had peculiar experience. Rakesh told that his maid servant was weeping as her son was missing. She felt that storm has blown away the small kid. Fortunately for every one, he took shelter in the nearby house.
The other one to face full fury of nature were two girls who while walking on the road within the campus could not see each other a meter apart and have to hold hands. Unable to see any thing and to avoid being blown away(Both are very thin) both enveloped one nearby tree. The sense of direction was lost to them.
In one part of city a tree fell over a high priced car and divided it in two by the impact. Thankfully it was parked and no one was inside.
3 comments:
Very strange to read this account because at this same time, in Alabama in the United States, we were having the same weather.A tree blew across the fence to our pasture but it is night and we could not take pictures. Very interesting you mentioned God's grace. You sound like a Christian.
Me too.....Midge Lang
Hmm, we have lots of sand storms in Jodhpur, but none so strong. That's a first, I think. Anyhow, good you guys reached home safe.
At such times, we become truly aware how subversive we are to nature, no matter what.
What a storm ... Glad ur safe.
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