Memory of an electric shock unplugged!

The beach was calm and the Arabian Sea placid as it was a winter morning and less breezy. The famous drive-in beach - Muzhappilangadu Beach – was less crowded, perhaps it was too early for the revelers to get crazy about driving on a beach. My good old friend and classmate Hari was behind the wheel of his special utility vehicle and I on the passenger's seat in front.

In the backseat was another companion – Sri – the giggling buddy, who was very popular in the school days for her outspoken nature in an otherwise conservative world. Music was smoothing, landscape was exotic, and the feel ethereal. We just met after over three decades and it was sort of journey down memory lane.

As both of my friends were lost in conversation, reminiscing the monkey businesses of yore and failed attempts to win hearts, I too just slipped into the world of adolescent memories.

It was in late eighties, I was doing my degree and was staying in a rented house in Muzhappilangad, close to the beach, on National Highway 66 between Thalassery and Kannur in Kerala's north Malabar region. It was examination time and as the college was far away from my village, we four friends were staying together in the rented house.

On a Sunday morning, three of them - Denny, Ashokan and Rashid - planned to go for a movie after days of rigorous study hours. I somehow decided to stay back as I, a young introvert, could not stand crowds.

After they had left, I sat down to read some textbooks and felt so drowsy following an hour of reading. In an attempt to make some tea, I plugged in the stove (not the one you think, we used to have something called electric coil stove!) and kept the water for heating.

A few minutes, the stove stopped burning. As old and damaged it was, the coil was broken in many places and we just connected them by hooking the pieces together. When I had noticed that the stove stopped burning and the reason was disconnected coil, I tried to fix it by myself.

I was about to remove the pot and just held it and lo and behold, in a split second I was thrown afar with a thud and all I remembered was a sudden shock! I lay down there for a long time, frozen out of fear, until I got my senses back.

It was only after some factfinding efforts I realised that though the stove was not burning, the plug was switched on as I forgot to turn it off.

It was by all means a providential escape (like many others in the later stages of my life) and believe me, even today before using anything electrical, I get a cold shiver deep inside!

However, a loud laughter of my friends over some waggish moments during the matriculation days brought me back to the present.

And the drive continued even I was all smiles, staring at the wonders of the world around!