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Tsunami - a word that suddenly hit the entire news and information outlet after December 26 2004, may look a bit outdated subject today to talk about. So much has already been written, read and said about it that you wouldn't bother to continue reading what is following…but wait what you read hereon are not ours but Preity Zinta's words.
In her latest column after a gap of 8 months on BBC website, Preity writes about her near death experiences in Sri Lanka and Thailand. Here are a few excerpts:
They say there are some moments in our lives, which change us forever…They have just come and gone for me. And I am lucky to have come out alive and able to tell my tale. They are far removed from the glitter and glamour of my film life. The first incident happened on a balmy night in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, on 11 December.
…We are five minutes away from closing a mega Bollywood song-and-dance revue at the local cricket stadium…
…Bollywood hero Shah Rukh Khan's is doing his gig with dancers. I am waiting in the left wing for my finale. Stepped on the stage and leaned over. I saw a pool of blood in the front rows. The security men grab us from behind and ask us to leave…
…A bomb has exploded in the front rows - two people are dead, more than a dozen injured. The concert has come to a bloody end…
…I arrive in Thailand's largest island nestling in the Indian Ocean on 25 December. I have planned it as a perfect Christmas break…
…I remember hearing a din in my sleep sometime later. I toss and turn in my bed, covering my ears and cursing whoever was making all that noise outside…
…I have slept through the tsunami that has killed nearly 6,000 people on Thailand's coast, mostly in Phuket…
…I have slept as two killer waves forced the hotel to evacuate guests from the island...
…Phuket resembles a war zone. The road is full of debris. There are bodies lying everywhere...
…After the devastation, it is a beautiful quiet full moon night in Phuket…
…I ended up spending eight more days on the devastated island, and saw survivors picking up the pieces…
…The voyage is a reaffirmation of life…
…I dived into the ocean with my life vest and swam. The sea is calm and blue. I am humbler, smaller and feel as vulnerable after two near escapes from death.
It feels good to be alive.
Anupamaa
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