Aneela Nike Post: The Coconut fall!

Monday, 21 September 2015

The Coconut fall!

He went blank and lost consciousness to recover after a few moments. On coming to his senses, he was surprised to see people gathered all around him talking and commenting –

As every year, this Sunday we drove down to Dadar, near Shivaji Park to visit my sister-in-law’s residence to see and seek the blessing of Lord Ganesh, and partake the prasad and the traditional vegetarian meal.

It was here, my nephew narrated a rare, dangerous and comical incident which happened just a couple of days earlier. As he and his wife were walking on the footpath close to the residence. His wife was a bit ahead and he slowed down and stood to check his mobile phone, as most youngsters normally do these days. It was the corner of Chandragupta hotel corner, near the signal, bang opposite Shiv Sena Bhavan. Here, a lone coconut tree lazily rising high above and arching down facing the footpath below. All of a sudden, a coconut crashed and fell with a thud. The nephew was busy checking his mobile and his head was bent down, looking at the screen. The coconut came crashing down and missed his head by a couple of inches and hit the base of his neck. He felt somebody had hit him hard was knocked out and the mobile popped out of his hands.

He went blank and lost consciousness to recover after a few moments. On coming to his senses, he was surprised to see people gathered all around him talking and commenting –

One man said, generally the coconut does not fall on the head.

Another said – Good it’s dried up. Had it been green and heavy then…….

Somebody else said – He is a lucky man!

Many were just commenting on the dimensions of the coconut, not realizing that a few inches up and he would be counting stars from the hospital bed. Or asking - Who am I? or Where am I? or asking his wife - Who are you?

He felt like a knocked down boxer looking up at the referee!

Meanwhile, his wife who was ahead turned round to check for him. She was surprised to see a crowd around him. She rushed and said – Hey, he is my husband and pulled him out only to realize a coconut had fallen and missed his head. She accompanied him to the doctor for a check-up and look for any internal damage. The x-ray showed no serious injury, except a bruised mark and a little swelling at the spot where the coconut had hit him. Sometimes funny things do happen and you wonder and ask yourself – why me!

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