They had miscalculated.
A political rally at the Parade Ground, which they were passing, suddenly had its route changed.
A river of slogan-shouting people surged into the narrow street they were in.
In seconds, they were swallowed by the crowd.
The festive mood was gone, replaced by a terrifying, unstoppable force.
The pressure was immense.
Santa panicked.
He braced his feet and pushed back against the tide of people, yelling “Stop pushing!”—a futile act that only drained his energy.
“Banta, do something!” he choked out, feeling his breath squeezed out of him.
Banta, though his face was pale with grim determination, was a picture of focus.
He grabbed Santa’s shoulder.
“Stop fighting it, Santa!”
“You’ll exhaust yourself!”
“Go with it!”
“And get your hands up!”
“Hands up?” Santa grunted.
“Yes!”
“Like a boxer!” Banta demonstrated, bringing his hands up to his chest, elbows slightly out.
“Keep your hands here!”
“It protects your ribs and keeps a small pocket of air around your lungs so you can breathe!”
Santa, trusting his friend, mimicked the pose.
The small space it created around his chest was a relief.
He could breathe a little easier.
“Now what?”
“Now we ride the wave!” Banta instructed, his voice loud and clear over the din.
“The crowd moves in surges, like an accordion.”
“Feel it?”
“There’s a push, then a brief lull.”
“Don’t fight the push.”
“Let it carry you.”
“But in the lull, that’s our chance!”
“We move sideways!”
“Diagonally!”
A powerful surge pushed them forward several feet.
Santa stumbled but kept the boxer pose and stayed upright.
Then, for a second, the pressure eased.
“Now, Santa!”
“To the left!”
“Two steps!” Banta yelled.
They shuffled diagonally, moving between two larger men.
Another surge came, carrying them forward again.
Then another lull.
“Again!”
“To the left!”
Step by step, wave by wave, lull by lull, they worked their way diagonally across the human river.
It was terrifying, exhausting work, but they were moving towards the edge, not just being helplessly carried to an unknown fate in the middle.
संता – बंता की इस जुगलबन्दी से आज हमने क्या सीखा:-
- ज्ञान / Discover: भीड़ में फंस जाने की स्तिथि में आपको पता होना चाहिये कि सुरक्षित रहने और बाहर निकलने के लिये आपको किस तकनीक का उपयोग करना है / If trapped in a crush, specific physical techniques can save your life.
- विज्ञान / Science: भीड़ के विरूद्ध धक्का दे कर आप केवल अपनी ऊर्जा बर्बाद कर रहे हो। अपने हाथो को सीने के पास रखने से आपके आस-पास कुछ जगह बनी रहती है, जिससे आप आसानी से साँस ले सकते हो। यह बहुत जरूरी है क्योकि भीड़ में होने वाली मृत्यु प्रायः साँस न लेने के कारण होती है / Pushing against a crowd is a waste of precious energy. The ‘boxer pose’ (hands at your chest) protects your rib cage and ensures you have space to breathe, which is vital as most deaths are from asphyxiation.
- मंथन / Reflect: आपकी सहज प्रवृति आपको भीड़ का विरोध करने को कह सकती है, परन्तु चतुराई भीड़ के साथ लयबद्ध रूप में बढ़ने और भीड़ की गति कम होने वाले समय का उपयोग अपने फायदे के लिये करने में है / Your instinct might be to resist force, but in a crowd crush, the smarter move is to go with the flow and use moments of lull to your advantage.
- उत्तरदायित्व / Responsibility: भीड़ में फंस जाने की स्थिति में संतुलन व पैरो की पकड़ बनाये रखे। हाथों को ऊपर सीने के पास रखें, ताकि सांस लेने में कठिनाई न हो। बेवजह चीखें-चिल्लाये नहीं, ऑक्सीजन व ऊर्जा – दोनों को बचा कर रखें और तिरछे किनारे की ओर बढ़े / If caught, stay on your feet. Protect your breathing space with your arms. Don’t scream unnecessarily; conserve energy and oxygen. And move diagonally to the periphery.
संता – बंता की यह जुगलबन्दी आपको कैसी लगी, कृपया हमें जरुर बताये
व
इस जुगलबन्दी को बेहतर बनाने के लिये अपने सुझाव अवश्य दें।
हमें हमेशा की तरह आपके सुझावों, प्रतिक्रियाओं व कटाक्षो का बेसब्री से इंतजार रहता हैं और सच मानिये इसी के आधार पर हम अपने आप में, अपनी सोच व रचनात्मकता में सुधार करने को प्रेरित होते हैं।
सो अच्छा – बुरा जैसा आपको महसूस हुवा हो, कमेंट जरुर करते रहें।
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