I grew up in the plantations and my early childhood was spent in the estates in Assam. It was the late 70s, the beginning of turmoil.
The streets were patrolled by the army, one saw more soldiers than locals. Curfews, protests and shoot at sight orders gushed into the peaceful stream of daily life .
I was two and a half years when my father was posted in an estate near Tezpur, Assam. Once, I was gripped by a terrible fever, no amount of medication could control the raging fire within my infant frame. My father rushed to the bungalow to find my mother in tears and a confused physician who couldn't diagnose my condition. Then the convulsions began and the body was getting contorted.
They couldn't waste time, the estate was not equipped to handle such a case. They had friends in the Air force fighter base in Tezpur and their only hope was the Army hospital, an hour's drive from the estate. They had to take me there and in as less time as possible since every second of my life then was God's will. I battled my journey to the hospital as my dad drove us in his fiat ..hoping fervently that I last through that drive and also hoping that he didn't encounter any road blockades or verifications by the patrolling troops that would delay us even more.
As the car reached the Air force base, the sentry at the gates had one look inside the car and signalled for the gates to open without registering the vehicle. I was taken to the M.I room and was administered injections to control the convulsions. My parents' friends in the Air force informed the A.O.C who was at a party to obtain permission for access to the Army hospital. A few phone calls were made and in no time I was being treated by the doctors of the Army Medical corps in Tezpur. I was diagnosed with encephalitis. The fever was brought down with ice cold compression in the joints. However, the biggest challenge lay ahead of them. The fluid flooding my infant brain had to be drained out.
It took seventeen, yes seventeen lumbar punctures. My mother recounted that those were the most punishing hours of her life as she stood at the corridor listening to the heart wrenching screams of her infant daughter. While I remained in the hospital for ten days, my mother stayed in the cantt.itself. My father drove down the distance everyday to the hospital from the estate until his superior gave him permission of leave.
Driving through roads with burning tyres or a soldier pressing the nozzle of his rifle onto my father's face while making enquiries, were common place and my father braved such conditions to meet us for days. He had loosened the hinges of the door on his side and tied the handle with a rope so that he could break out of the car in case of a fire .
My recovery took a long time and I had to battle the side effects of the treatments that followed. At one stage I had become hyper kinetic and once that was controlled , I became slow in my reflexes. My immune system suffered a great deal and I had a poor appetite. Compared to my peers, I was a weaker child. It took many years for me to regain my health and I struggled through most of my years right up to middle school.
It didn't stop me from enjoying my childhood though; I had a wonderful family and great friends to support me. Although each day was a struggle to overcome limitations and move with the flow of life , I kept going, slowly, at my own pace. Somewhere along the way, I discovered my resilience. Then , the poison changed to medicine.
I realized that I was sent back to fight it out because death took pity on me and life gave me another chance. Each of us have a purpose in life and I'm not leaving until mine is fulfilled..
I believe I have come a long way since then and my past had made me stronger. I have trained hard, very hard..and put in all my sweat, tears and blood into becoming the fitness enthusiast I am today. I love high altitude trekking and have just completed one of the most difficult Himalayan treks in Sikkim in less than the usual duration. I have been drawn to adventure sports, para sailing, zip lining and deep sea walking being a few I've undertaken.
To get stronger with time is a promise I made to myself. Each day gives me that opportunity. I've returned from the jaws of death to celebrate victory and for me, the road doesn't end here.
