Did I Meet God?

A chance encounter at a busy signal with a stranger lead to…

- Adhar Sinha

It remains one of life's unsolved mysteries, an affirmation that it's best to leave life's puzzles as they are, instead of trying to decipher each and everything in life - for that in itself is one of those unique facets that make up the mystery called life.

Many years ago, I was taking my family on an evening drive in our Maruti 800. Just a few kilometres from our house is one of Hyderabad's busiest traffic junctions. A flyover connects the junction to the road from our side. I was happily driving down the flyover but just before crossing the junction, the signal turned red.

I screeched the car to a halt before the stop-line.

Being impressed by the media campaign on saving fuel - how thousands of gallons can be saved just by switching off vehicle engines at signals - I too dutifully followed suit, waiting for the signal to turn green for our turn. It takes a few minutes in one cycle as it's a five-sided crossing.

Soon the signal turned green. I switched on the engine. There was no sound. The keys turned silently inside without igniting the engine to life.

I tried a second time. No luck.