Detour:

It was a clear sunny day and the roads contained no obvious hazards that could cause problems with traffic.
Traffic, on that particular day, was pretty thick, but it was flowing smoothly and steadily. One of the drivers, a
man in an overloaded red truck, decided that people in his lane were moving much too slowly for his taste. He
quickly changed lanes in an attempt to get to quicker moving ones. I noticed that he zoomed past my car. A
little later I heard one of the loudest bangs ever. The red truck crashed into the toll booth, at the approach of
the bridge, and then turned over.

The fate of vehicles behind were sealed, at least till the truck could be removed to clear all the way for those
behind. That meant a couple of hours, if lucky. At once I knew I was about to miss my train and the connecting
flight back home. Spreading a passing glance to my left, I caught sight of the rippling rice fields. A flash of an
idea swept my mind and I decide to put my newly acquired SLR camera to some useful practice. I got off my
car and advised my chauffeur to stay put. After clicking about half a dozen times, my lens spotted a white
collard blue kingfisher. I knew the bird was rare and I took great care to capture it in its moments of
animation. Inching closer towards the bird, I also spied a twisting river. Curiosity killed me instantly. River and
rice fields could only mean nearby habitation and I was always on the lookout to shoot rural life.

Sooner than I realised, I was among the inhabitants of a village they called Laxmipur. I told them that I was no
journalist but a freelance amateur photographer, making the best use of being caught in a traffic jam. One
thing led to another and they told me they could use their boat to get me to my desired railway station. I felt I
was drenched in God’s ample blessings. Without further ado, I negotiated a fare, rushed back to my car and
left with my belongings.

Now I was with the warm spring sun shining over me and the gentle signature of the cool water on my lower
right arm. Snaking through the countryside, I reached the station in less than an hour, well within time to
board my train. For the first time in life I was not cursing a traffic jam, for the detour was well worth all the
novel experiences.