Flashback of Tragic Night

It happened sometime back in 2009.

After my BHSEC examination, I had been helping my dad with his works. Me and dad had to travel Wangkha (near Chukha) every morning and then back to home at Gedu at night. I really enjoyed those days helping my dad and have a good memory to share. Ironically, I even had the bad memorable incident of those days.

The area between Gedu and Chukha used to be foggy, with continuous rainfall most of the time. In those days landslides and falling of the stone over the road widening works between Thimphu and Phuentsholing were common. There were many cases of accidents and death due to falling stone and vehicle verging over the road.

As always, me, dad, and dad’s colleague were returning back to Gedu from the site in Wangkha. It was already night before we could start our way back home. As we approached near Takti, rain started drizzling, and worse to that thick fog appeared from nowhere. It became almost impossible to drive. I had to get my head out of the car to see the road. So, hoping that our way would be clear we stopped for some time, but in vain.

After waiting for a while, we followed the land cruiser Prado which came before us, which in turn followed oil Tanker. Back light of proceeding vehicle became the way guider for succeeding ones. Continued rain drizzling, foggy weather, unpaved muddy road and each vehicle following the back light of another without any knowledge of where about in the dark night, all these made me to recite prayers. I heard dad chanting too. Fear of stones falling from the lose disturbed soil due do road widening works made us to fear more. We were just wishing to reach Takti canteen, as after crossing it, the roads are in much better condition with black top.

Tanker truck and Land cruiser Prado had safely passed before us, but we got struck by the stone lying in the middle of the road. Dad had just started backing the car to take a turn from one side of the stone. Before he could move forward, we heard a cracking sound. In much hurry he continued backing the car, and within a second boulder weighing more than tones started falling down from nowhere. I had lost my conscious mind with the fear of those falling stones, and I could sense myself shouting at dad to be quick in backing the car. Stones were continually falling, and as we hurriedly backed, the car got stuck in the mixture of mud and stone lying at the side of the road. Thank god! Tones of stones had been falling just in front of us. As soon as we got stuck, active me and dad got out of the car and started running towards a safer place. We were shivering, shattering and we could no more utter any word. “Thank God! I am alive”, that’s what occupied my mind that very moment. God saved us. And soon, I could feel myself.

As always my dad proved to be heroic by backing the car on time, else we would be no more in this world. The stone which blocked our way and the road which leads us towards the home is no where to be seen.

If there had not been that stone in the middle of the road, you would not be reading this post. I felt like prostrating that stone, but is no where in my sight. Soon, stones stopped falling, and dad went to get the car to a safer place. Many more vehicles added to line up the unpaved muddy road in the landslide prone area of Takti. We called at home and informed them.

I had a wonderful memorable time sleeping in the middle of nowhere. Darkness was what I could see. The rains had been continuously falling. We had to manage whole night inside the car, that too without any food and worse to add, the night was cold too. Isn’t that really wonderful memorable night?

From that day, dad and I had never taken a risk in travelling through the landslide prone area while its raining. Was a lesson for me and dad.