Dream Come true!!!

 

Dream Come true!!!

 

It was in 2006 when my friends did the bungee in Mysuru as part of Dasara Adventure Sports and we were doing a trekking program and the lucky trekker will get a Bungee jump and in the lucky Dip. It was a girl Miss Anannya Balasubramanya of Kendra Vidyalaya, Mysore who got the chance and we never thought it would be such an adrenaline rush.

 She was overjoyed by the experience and nevertheless the burning desire to do it myself was there in me. But we got to earn it, says my mentor who is no more in this world now.

 The desire in me to do it, but this was the fantasy in life and I had no money to part for the activity like this during those days. Even I dared not to ask money at home for activities like this.

 Though the organizers were my friends dared not to ask them to give me a jump for the experience and I pay later when I have it. As they were also just new entrant in the field, so it was not fare enough to ask them too.

 But I had the gut feeling that one day I am going to accomplish the dream. But the same started in the Bangalore Kanteerva Stadium and one day I hear the loud noise that one participant died during the bungee and it sent shivers in the spine how safe it is to do it. Then I thought whether I should do it or let it go due the incident happened in Bangalore.

 Nevertheless in 2010, I saw the movie Zindagi milegi na Dobara and I saw the person doing all adventure activities like Skydiving, Scuba and the adrenaline rush started again and I went down to do Skydiving in 2011 & 2012 and then followed by Scuba Diving in 2013 and then in 2015, I went to Rishikesh to have the hands on experience on Para Motoring  & Zip line with Ananya and asked for the third one Bungee and they said it is closed for the weekend and we were in a no mood to halt there as it was mandatory to return for the work next day immediately and we rushed back with a grit feeling to come back again some time.

After that I tried doing it but it didn’t happened due to pressing engagements of the expedition but in Deva Bhoomi it’s said you can’t come to the destination till such time there is call from there.

 So call came from Goa to do it, but again I missed the chance, due to untimely demise of my brother in road accident in Rajasthan and had to rush there, but it was destined to be the last day of the pandemic year to end the year in the most befitting way by jumping from height of 273 feet in the Valley of Gods or Deva Bhoomi on 31st Dec 2020.

 The experience of summit on Mt Kedarkanta was bubbling in our minds and here comes another most awaited adventure of life, that is called Bungee and flying fox.

 We drove to the Rishikesh and the moment we went to the reception office of the jumping heights, they ran a clipping of the bungee and the flying fox and here comes the gentleman and explains the salient features and we fill the forms digitally and our weights are checked and they mark it on the hand with the number which denotes your body weight and they mark it in blue and green concept as the harness and line has to be adjusted accordingly.

 We got the slips from the office and walked down 400 mts to the base and there were few of more enthusiast there, we chatted and pulled each other’s leg and then came the turn of our six of us. Where we decided the same with the clasp like we used to play during the childhood days. I was the first and then followed by Karan, Sumukh and Rajath.

 Earlier to that, girls had already jumped and when I went there the instructor asked me are you having any problems and asked why are you asking like this, he said people of your age usually don’t come here and then he asked are you from Army I didn’t respond to any of the queries and I just wore the harness and the legs were strapped and the chord was tied and made to stand on the edge and then there were butterflies in the tummy going around telling come on today is your day, jump and show the world age is just a  number and there is saying “Where there is a will, there is a way”.

 The instructor said I will give you two chance to jump and if you don’t then you lose the money and the chance too, but I didn’t take any chance and just took a deep breath and just took the leap in the valley and believe it or not friends the experience was enthralling and specially when the chord pulls you up, you get the pull and that experience is worth experiencing it. I wish all of you should get that experience at least once in lifetime. Those four or five oscillations were mind boggling. Then your rope is lowered and you hold the pole given by the ground staff and you slowly descend down and lay to rest on the bed and your straps are removed and they give you a pat and said well done Sir!!! They acknowledge your jump by giving a badge and water bottle which says you have the guts!! Here also the ground staffs asked me are you from Army. Probably the cap on our head as gear gave them a hint that we might be from the Indian Army. But we nod that we are not  and walkdown with joy to meet the other trekkers standing at the bay.

They welcome me with the warm hug and we greet each other and say “yes I have done it”!!

 After jumps of all others, we had group hugs and we parted to the destination for the next awaited adventure which was home sweet home.   

 When people of my age are busy making some plans for the New Year to drink, dine and merry go abroad on a holiday trip but I was doing something different from all my friends, like this but I say with pride that I have the guts and had the experience to live the same on the last day of the year in 2020!

 What a way to end the year in the company of youngsters like Karan Dm, Namitha Nagaraj, Geethanjali Ramesh, Sumukh Palayam, Rajat and thank you boys for the wonderful coincidence had not been this youths the dream wouldn’t had been realized

 When I came back home and posted the same on the whatsapp status people were sending congratulatory messages and few asked me was this required now, at this age and had something gone wrong then what next ! But I said in one word I live the life, the Way I want it and I don’t live it to please others. In Hindi they say “Jo  Dar ghaya, Voh ! Margaya”!!

 

Thank you friends and god bless all the young ones for the wonderful company on the adventurous trip and which will be remembered down the lane in life.