When the earth shakes it is for all to know. In our childhood , the fable we were told was , ‘Don’t we move in our sleep? Similarly, God of earth is shifting his position in his sleep, hence the movement.’
Growing up in Assam, earthquake is a common and regular experience. Also living in a hilly region in Guwahati makes it all the more frightening. Whenever an earthquake occurred the most common cry I heard from houses in neighbouring hills was ‘Bhoomi-kompo, bhoomi-kompo’ and a few devout, instead of running out to the open would run inside, to get a conch to blow— ‘Lord Shiva is hurrying to the Himalayas, blowing the conch will make him happy,’ was the belief of the devout Hindus.
As a child I was the first one to be out of the house as an earthquake approached. I discovered that tremors don’t come at once. They travel, and even before the house, roofs or window panes rattle, a numb roar can be felt from a distant.
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Another old school indicator of an approaching earthquake — “Minutes before an earthquake, the birds would create mayhem in the sky,” our grandmother used to say.
I still remember a time when once such earthquake came several times in a day. That day the houses rocked and shook.
Each time an earthquake happened it left marks — the cracks on the walls and the floor of the houses. So hurrying out into the open is the most common safety drill.
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To be extra cautious of what is to be done in school, our mother’s only word of advice was, “Don’t run, you will either hurt yourself or hurt someone else. Stay calm and go under a desk or look for a corner.”
The same was told to us repeatedly at our morning school assemblies whenever earthquake alerts were sounded.
Earthquakes are indeed scary. If you haven’t experienced it, consider yourself blessed.