I woke this morning to a lazy Sunday. No work. All the time in the world to read the newspaper cover-to-cover (minus a few sports stories). Chicken curry lunch. Bits and pieces of superhero movies - The Dark Knight, Spiderman II and Harry Potter III - followed by the perfect Sunday afternoon movie, It's Complicated (Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin).
Meryl Streep runs a restaurant/bakery in the movie. So plenty of beautiful food - roast beef, mashed potatoes, chocolate croissants. Gave me some serious munchies. Post-lunch I've eaten papad chaat, Dairy Milk, and gone scouting for more food. Chewing gum has since stemmed the eat-streak.
But this Sunday had a surprise in store. A 6.8 magnitude earthquake even as I got to writing this post. It struck Sikkim. There were tremors in Kolkata.
You're not supposed to get excited at the prospect of natural disasters. But this was my first tremor. I was on floor, resting against the sofa with the lappie on my lap. Suddenly, I feel my head bobbing like those wobbly-headed dashboard toys. I close my eyes, and the sofa's trembling behind me. I call for the dog, "Sugar, are you scratching behind the couch?" Far from itching behind the three-seater, she is catching forty winks on the other couch.
I close my eyes. Place the lappie on the floor. Move away from the couch. Is my head spinning? I imagine the building tottering on its pillars and go "Nyaaah!" Sure, I've experienced one of Mumbai's worst floods ever. But earthquakes don't happen to me. It's probably that dormant heart condition acting up. Or is it?
Within the next few seconds, the tremors struck Facebook:
"Just felt earthquake tremors in Kolkata!"
"Who felt the quake?"
"Think there was a mild earthquake in Kolkata just now."
(Thank you Zuckerberg & Co. for Facebook. I wouldn't have suspected a quake otherwise.)
Since I last checked, there are a few panicky messages as well. Case in point: "God save us from earthquake." (NB: this would not be funny in North Bengal, Sikkim and other heavily-struck areas. )
Today is also Biswakarma Puja. But the god of craftsmen and architects seems unfazed by the tremors. His devotees are still playing music and dhaks to the aftershocks.
[NB: Hope damage and casualties are minimal in all the quake-struck areas.]
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| It's Complicated |
But this Sunday had a surprise in store. A 6.8 magnitude earthquake even as I got to writing this post. It struck Sikkim. There were tremors in Kolkata.
You're not supposed to get excited at the prospect of natural disasters. But this was my first tremor. I was on floor, resting against the sofa with the lappie on my lap. Suddenly, I feel my head bobbing like those wobbly-headed dashboard toys. I close my eyes, and the sofa's trembling behind me. I call for the dog, "Sugar, are you scratching behind the couch?" Far from itching behind the three-seater, she is catching forty winks on the other couch.
I close my eyes. Place the lappie on the floor. Move away from the couch. Is my head spinning? I imagine the building tottering on its pillars and go "Nyaaah!" Sure, I've experienced one of Mumbai's worst floods ever. But earthquakes don't happen to me. It's probably that dormant heart condition acting up. Or is it?
Within the next few seconds, the tremors struck Facebook:
"Just felt earthquake tremors in Kolkata!"
"Who felt the quake?"
"Think there was a mild earthquake in Kolkata just now."
(Thank you Zuckerberg & Co. for Facebook. I wouldn't have suspected a quake otherwise.)
Since I last checked, there are a few panicky messages as well. Case in point: "God save us from earthquake." (NB: this would not be funny in North Bengal, Sikkim and other heavily-struck areas. )
Today is also Biswakarma Puja. But the god of craftsmen and architects seems unfazed by the tremors. His devotees are still playing music and dhaks to the aftershocks.
[NB: Hope damage and casualties are minimal in all the quake-struck areas.]
i college got hit :(
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