What is a miracle?

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Kurla is not the first choice you make, if you want to fix a meeting. As fact, in my 25 years of Bombay - i've not had a business meeting in Kurla. It just sounded far too counterproductive, to make it through the traffic snarls and the impatience that brings with it. Till today. 

The meeting was worth it, and business was conducted. 

The travel, on the other hand - was a revelation. I marvelled at the new SCLR that has been built, while chatting with my cabbie about why Mumbai is the noisiest city in the world, his faith in Modi (despite being a Muslim), improvement in the city's infrastructure etc. I finally saw the markets where spare car parts come from and teak and timber. The  journey to the meeting showed me a part of the city, that earlier was a place you don't just boldly go...

For my return, I hitched a tuk-tuk. And then, the following happened in less than a few minutes:

A slight jam, before the SCLR signal. Road packed with vehicles...
Our auto was behind a big-ass truck...
The traffic begins to move...
I see a frail lady lying on the road... 
Some vehicles halt...
I get off my auto...
Another young boy comes from the side of the road...
We lift that old lady, who must be at least 70...
She's thin as a rake and trembling...
I pick up the package she has dropped and the two notes of 10 rupees each...
I come back to the lady... who's now sitting by the side of the road...
I ask the young boy if he saw what happened...

This is what he tells me:
The big-ass truck had bumped into the old lady as she was crossing the road...
The old lady falls down, flat...
The truck driver does not stop and continues to go over her...
She remains unscathed as the truck (with three axles) passes over her.
The 12 wheels of the truck narrowly missed her, as she lay BETWEEN the wheels - while the truck harmlessly passed over her... 
Had she fallen even half a foot to her left or right, she would have been crushed...

We helped her with water, as she mumbled in almost a delirious state.
Someone who recognised her, came and took her away.

I got back to my auto... shaken at what i'd just witnessed. 
My auto driver said:

"Her time had not come. It's as simple as that."



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