The Northern Plains of India have always remained prone to earthquakes. The topographical conditions of Delhi – NCR, with the giant Himalayas in the north and river valleys all around, makes the earthquake shivers inevitable here.
Delhi – NCR is never the epicentre, but always the victim of side and aftereffects. This year, yet again, an earthquake, with its epicentre somewhere near Hindu Kush in Afghanistan (magnitude – 6.6), made NCR its victim.
The earthquake occurred at night on Tuesday, 21 March. The LBE residents were seen stepping down the stairs from floors as high as 23. Each resident had her/ his own experience and reaction towards this sudden incident.
Antariksh (T-35) says, “I realised the pendant light was moving while I had just slipped into bed. The first thought was to see if it stops and the second was to change and get into something presentable! Not the best decision… Anyway, we made our way down from the 15th floor with shoes in our hands and an aunty ahead of us chanting to Shivji. I think I wore my shoes on the 8th floor. (laughs)” Like Antariksh, many residents waited for a minute to let their lights, fans and chandeliers stop, and then rushed downstairs. People were seen with their kids sleeping in laps, or their pets running around for a walk!
I had to take my pet dog with me. Surprisingly, he did not sense the earthquake earlier than I did. He was comfortably sleeping on the couch.
Many elderly people were also seen finding their way down the stairs, slowly and steadily.
Even though it was due to a negative cause that everyone got downstairs, it soon transformed to a bonding session. After around 5 – 10 minutes, children were seen playing in the park or the swings, and women and men were standing in groups chatting and gossiping, maybe about their experience and reaction, the magnitude, the epicentre or simply about their daily lives.
All in all, earthquakes are no surprise to the people in Delhi – NCR. Everyone is now familiar with the drill. Panics and stress are a rare sight.
by Bhuvanya Ranjan (T-35, 8700427573)
