Who is not afraid of earthquakes? The mightiest may fall prey to the catastrophe of an earthquake that comes without any warning, at any moment of the day or night, irrespective of any season of the year. The animals and birds are afraid of it, too, and that is evident from their shrill cries at the occurrence of a quake even at the dead of night. Many say that these creatures can sense the quake a few moments before its occurrence. So far the efforts of scientists have failed to forecast an earthquake.

Anyway, here I would like to highlight a few of my experiences revolving around earthquakes. It was August 1950, I was a little more than two years and waiting to celebrate my third birthday in a few days. Usually, at this age, the normal happenings are not remembered, but I remember this particular event even today. It was a nightmare for us and for the people of Assam, more particularly for those who lived in Upper Assam. My father, an officer of Custom and Central Excise, was posted at Doomdooma in Upper Assam at that time. We were residing in an Assam type house. In those days, the kitchen was separate from the main house, and connected by a CI sheet roof. One evening, we were having dinner in the kitchen – I, Father, and my elder sister, and Mother was serving the meal along with egg curry. My younger brother, an infant, was sleeping in the main house. Then it came. A huge roar, resembling the sound of an approaching bulldozer, immediately followed by the tremendous jerk. My father dragged me and my elder sister outside, while Mother rushed to the main house to fetch my younger brother. As soon as she entered the main house, it started to tilt dangerously to one side. My father yelled at her to come out immediately, and within a fraction of a second, as she emerged from the house with my brother in her arms, the house toppled. All of us were standing in the courtyard, but it was difficult to remain stationary as the impact of the quake threw us here and there. Ultimately, my father managed to find a wooden post meant for fixing ropes to dry clothes and called us to hold the post tightly. Meanwhile, the CI sheet roof connecting the kitchen and main house was dislodged and flew like a missile. It fell on the opposite side of where we stood. Next morning, we saw that the sharp edge of the CI sheets had sliced the plants and small trees falling on its flying path. Had it landed on the side towards us, today this article would not have been written.

The situation was horrible. The strange rumble of the quake, terrible crashing sounds of buildings and trees, blended with the din of the people chanting Hari Bol, Hari Bol, made the atmosphere grim. It was pitch dark everywhere and to add to the distress, there was a light drizzle. My mother still says that I had not forgotten to grab the egg from the dish as my father pulled me outside. The violent shaking continued for ten or fifteen minutes and subsided gradually, but not completely for the whole night. I remember those few dreadful moments even now, but cannot recollect properly the rest of the events. Later on, I learnt from my parents that after a few minutes of the quake, the first person to enquire about us was Sambhu, my father’s office peon, who resided nearby. People gathered at an open field and everyone slept for a month or so there at night, under the open sky. The intermittent mild tremors continued for a couple of weeks together and made the people afraid of taking shelter under covered space. Government relief in those days was not prompt like nowadays. Automobiles, telephones were out of reach of the common people. Most of our valuables were damaged, but my father’s Swiss made light green dial wrist watch, recovered from the rubble, was fully intact, unscratched and working perfectly. We were at Doomdooma for another three years after the disaster.

October 1991. I was in Delhi on vacation, along with my wife and two kids. We were lodged on the third floor of the International Youth Centre at Chanakyapuri. One evening after dinner, my wife was preparing the bed, the kids were watching TV and I was going through the newspaper of the day. Then it struck. At the first jolt, I caught hold of both the kids by their arms and hauled them towards the staircase that was next to our room, while shouting at my wife to follow me. I wonder how I made it to the ground floor within seconds, clutching the kids. All the occupants of the building were gathered on the lawn. The tremors stopped, but no one dared to go inside since someone made an ‘expert comment’ about the bigger one following the smaller. These people came from different parts of the country and some of them from abroad, and hence, did not know each other. But the quake made them talk to each other. After a few minutes of murmuring about the event, everyone got ready to leave. At this moment, one gentleman appeared from the staircase, neatly dressed, shoe strings properly tied, holding a suitcase in one hand and majestically joined the crowd at the lawn. Roars of laughter burst out and someone from behind remarked that perhaps the gentleman was searching for the room key. Next day in the newspaper it was stated that the quake had caused extensive damage to life and property in western UP, parts of Nepal,Himachal and even in Delhi, some old structures had collapsed, while others had developed cracks and several persons were injured.

September 21, 2009. I had invited my elder sister for lunch. Yes, this is the same sister with whom I had faced the predicament 59 years back. As our children are now grown up and stay outside the State, my wife and I stay alone here at Guwahati. We were having lunch, of course egg curry was a part of the menu. Then it came. Before the others realised anything, I was on my feet heading towards the staircase, sliding my hands over the railing as I moved down swiftly in a few seconds, to the envy of a seasoned acrobat, and positioned myself in a safe open place. During the act, I shouted to the others to come out. Perhaps a hissing cobra would fail to make me react in this manner. By the time the tremor stopped, my wife and elder sister joined me. My sister asked me if I had forgotten to bring the egg.

Warning-It is not at all advisable to follow my act in the advent of an earthquake.

Dr Sarat Ch Talukdar