Tuesday, December 06, 2005

The jump of my life

110 ft above the ground. Tied by an elastic rope on the legs. A hooting crowd of about 500 men and women. And a brilliant Mysore palace in the front! There couldn’t have been a better setting for a ‘Bungee’.

I don’t really know when I first got interested. One of my earliest memories go back to a program called ‘Ushuaia’ (on the name of a South American city at the tip of the continent) on TV. There is just one word that you could then assign to it – Crazy. So it is, in every sense of the word. And as I do for all crazy things, I had to get interested.

Though bungee-jumping amuses mostly the brave-hearted, it is more amusing to see some not-so-brave-hearts going to test their limits. As it turns out, their limits are as shallow as a frying pan!

When you are being lifted in the crane-lift amidst hundreds of cheering onlookers, It feels as if a great stuntman is about to perform the most stupendous task on Earth. Confidence surges and you can even feel adrenaline rushing through your arteries – heavenly experience for the first timers! And soon you are there – on top of the world – literally.

It feels great. As long as you are not looking down, that is. The problem starts when you suddenly realize that this is not your house’s terrace, but of more than 10 times higher than that. What seemed confidence earlier if fear now. Howsoever many safety systems you wear, the first thought in mind is,” What if this rope breaks?

You would instantly realize that almost everyone in this world is interested in your jump to the ground. And the more dramatic the decent – the better it is.

The instructor in the lift asked me to stretch my hands straight outwards and bend down in a diving posture. Having analyzed the best position to jump with a friend on ground, I had little doubts as to what makes a perfect jump.

What I failed to reckon was that the perfect jump would necessitate a reasonable frame of mind. But when you are looking down 100 ft from a hanging lift, reason cannot not hold ground. Can it?

I moved a foot further on the platform, only to pull it back in absolute horror. It was damn scary. The worst thing was that the junta was getting crazier as I was getting terrified. To suppress my fear, I vigorously started waving my hand, kissing in the air and screaming at the top of my voice.

The instructor then tried to push me again. Just trembling down, I pulled my leg back again. It was only after taking two more deep breaths, that I could control myself to finally make the decision to jump – come what may.

Then I leaped in the air. Exactly as a novice swimmer would dive – leg first.

We noted on ground that it takes about 55 seconds of free fall after which you oscillate in the air for some time to come to rest about 2 minutes later.

It does not feel anything other than sheer weightlessness and racing pulse until you get the first jerk. You come to rest after a series of such jerks only to be happy about entering into the elite ‘I-too-have-jumped’ category. On ground, it did feel spectacular indeed.

It took me about half an hour to get full control of my nerves. It was only then that I could reflect on what makes ‘bungee’ ever so popular. It is amazing to realize the fun a man gets when he tests the limits of his tolerance! Only to know that he comes nowhere close to the ultimate while he always thought, he is doing the best.

14 comments:

Aashish Ramdas said...

Nice Anna, very nice :) If you find out about any bungee jumping near Blore, let me know.

Btw: how much does it cost to (almost) throw away your life?

Aashish Ramdas said...

And you can turn on word verification so that the junk comments are not put.. Its there somewhere in the Blogger settings..

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Anonymous said...

right anna :-)
i was a witness of ur said stunt...

i even captured u ...

now i feel even i shud have participated in that..

anyway..the next time is not far too...coming dussehra.... come again...most welcome...:-)

Anonymous said...

right anna :-)
i was a witness to ur said stunt...

i even captured u ...

now i feel even i shud have participated in that..

anyway..the next time is not far too...coming dussehra.... come again...most welcome...:-)

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Anonymous said...

Hello Arpit,
Nice to read about the jump of your life.Its really very true that the one standing down and observing doesnt even know what its like going on top and jumping..you have got gutts man..I once went to the Busch gardens in verginia and there I had been on the roller coster ride..just look it was a nice place to sit with all the doors well locked and still it was scary to life when it moved up and down and when it took to the height of 120 ft. upper and then agn with a steep slop where u feel all locks would get open and u will just fall from that height.Its like you want to say to your family how much you love them for the last time coz. u dont know whats gonna happen then...

Hey u write well...:)
keep writing and posting
take best care of urself and all ur loved ones
stay fit,stay healthy n enjoy life
cheers!!!

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Anonymous said...

Hey. I'm a new blogger with only two blogs to my name. haha. but I am also another who falls into this 'I-too-have-jumped' category. I live in Nepal and I went bungeeing in my country. You should try it if you ever come to Nepal. It's amazing!!! You write quite well and I can perfectly relate to everything you said in this blog! :)

Arpit Agarwal said...

@Preeti: Yes, it is indeed so scary. I just wished I could abort my jump. It was hilarious, as I acted like a joker for more people around. And it was scary as I had never ever dreamed of doing something as scary.

@Samjhana: Well, human emotions remain the same in all countries and races. Don't they? Whom did you remember the first when you were about to just plunge?

And thanks guys, for posting good words about my blog. I have decided to restart writing. I wished to do this for a long long time now. So, you would get regular piece of my mind regularly.

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