The Samosa Bet:-

As I remember I was in Class VI th, we had just started moving in group of boys, play and have fun to the hilt. That was the time when kids and children were not afraid to move out of their homes (sometime to out of bound places as well). Parents were equally relaxed as crime against children was seldom heard in the mountain town of Dehradun.

We lived in Indra Nagar, Dehradun at that point of time. Indra Nagar was a well planned and developing residential colony, coming up in the then outskirts of Dehradun. Population was scarce. People still feared coming to these outskirts at late evenings. Streets were deserted after dusk. Slowly people had started building individual homes. There were a few residential complexes that had been erected by various government entities. There was also a settlement of I.T.B.P (Indo-Tibetan Border Police), a para-military force. But few patches of Indra Nagar Colony were still devoid of any settlement, which included a patch which had the forest area adjoining to the Tea plantation area (colloquially called "Chai Bagan"). The forest area started near the Durga Mandir and stretched up-to the other end near the Meuwala village. The forest area merged into the Chai Bagan after a small ravine. Wild animals were spotted quite often in this area, including jackals, foxes, wild boars and once in a while by leopards as well.

Our group of boys (colloquially called Toli) had gathered at the Durga Mandir to celebrate some festival. It was a holiday, it was already mid-day. During our normal chit-chat, one of the guys, Shashank (name changed) suggested that we should visit the Jungle (the forest area). Shashank was one of the most mischievous and naughtiest guys in our friend circle. As soon as he suggested of visiting to the Jungle, we knew something mischievous was cooking up in his mind. All of us rejected the idea in one go. But Shashank did not give up, he started telling us tales of the Pristine beauty of the Jungle. This thought lured few of the guys, few of them started to lean towards the idea of visiting the Jungle. Some of us still felt that visiting the Jungle was a stupid idea. Then Shashank played the Boyhood (read as masculinity) card. He said anybody who is not willing to visit the Jungle is timid and is not a Boy. Boys are brave. Boys take risks and are afraid of nothing. So real Boys should accompany him in the Jungle. This Boyhood card always worked as in those growing up years one thing we were very proud of was our Boyhood. Boyhood was something that everybody wanted to showcase and flaunt. Boys used to find various ways including risky and silly activities to flaunt their boyhood. It was part of our self esteem. Shashank knew he had struck the right cord. All of us willingly or un-willingly consented to accompany him to the Jungle to prove their Boyhood.

As we started moving in the Jungle, Shashank told us stories of the wild animals that visited that place. We all kept quiet and heard his tales. He later added that there is a big wild boar that visits the place quite often. He further added that somewhere deep in the Jungle the wild boar has dug up a long tunnel in the mud. We did not know if Shashank was speaking truth as he was known for his gossips and imaginary tales. Anyhow we continued to get into the Jungle. After a while Shashank told us that today we would be visiting the tunnel dug up by the wild boar. Until now we were pretty sure he was making stories. After walking for sometime into the Jungle Shashank took a right-turn and started descending in the ravine. We kept following, most of us were enjoying the beauty of the Jungle, much less interested in the tales shared by Shashank. After descending some distance Shashank stopped near a big tree. He said that the tunnel dug up by the wild boar is just below the tree. We could see a small hole near the roots of the tree but it did not look like a tunnel. Shashank told us all that the wild bar has dug a tunnel from some distance down the ravine to the place we were standing. Most of us still were not interested.

Shashank threw us a challenge at all of us now. He said if anybody can get down into the ravine at the starting of the tunnel and cross it to get out of the tunnel at the Tree where we we currently standing, he will consider him the bravest of all the boys in the Toli. Few of us wanted to try but were skeptical. Shashank raised the stakes of the challenge and now told all of us that he can bet that nobody can cross the tunnel and if anybody crosses the tunnel alone he will accept his defeat and buy the person a Samosa (a triangular savory fried in oil containing vegetables), as a reward.

Although I was already tempted by the challenge and wanted to showcase my bravery and boyhood. Hearing Samosa as the reward for the bet I made up my mind to accept the challenge. I told Shashank that I accept the challenge without even giving a thought at the risk involved in crossing the tunnel. Perhaps the Samosa was far more luring than the risk of meeting the wild boar mid-tunnel. 

There are times, especially in your growing up years when due to the adrenalin rush you accept risks which are probably not worth taking. When you think of them as grownups, you perhaps just shrug of the ideas as silly and nonsense. During your growing up years you these stupid ideas become a matter of pride and an opportunity to become a hero among you peers.

Anyway I started my journey down the ravine. The place was all covered in shrubs and weeds. It had rained heavily the previous day and hence the mud was still wet. Anyway slowly and gradually I descended the ravine and in some time reached the bottom of it. I had to now climb some bit upwards to reach at the start of the tunnel. Finally climbing uphill for some time I reached a dark opening in the mud that was covered up by shrubs. I could see that it was dark in the tunnel. By now my shoes were all wet and lower half of my pants all strained in mud. The opening of the tunnel was an opening where I could enter kneeling on my knees. By now I started to feel bit scared as there was darkness in the tunnel. Probably the wild boar had dug the tunnel to take refuge from the Sun and the Rain.

Anyhow I gathered courage and started to move on my knees and arms. After moving a bit the tunnel started to become narrower and the darkness grew. By now I could hear my own breath. There was not even space for me to move on my knees. By now I was already soaked in mud and water present at the bottom and roof of the tunnel. The tunnel was on a slope hence I had to in a way move uphill in the tunnel. Suddenly I heard some noise and I stopped moving. It scared me a lot. I thought that if the wild boar is inside then I would be torn apart. But the thought of Samosa and being hero was still very luring and it kept me motivated. After being still for a minute I realized that the noise stopped. It was such a relief for me. By now I was almost certain that the wild boar was not inside the tunnel otherwise by now it would have attacked me. I regained breath and started crawling lying down completely on the floor of the tunnel. There was not even any space in the tunnel that I could move on my knees I had to rub my body against the floor of the tunnel and keep moving. I was pushing up by my stretching my ankles and pushing my body forward. I was trying to grab the floor with my arms so as to pull myself forward. The pull push actions was giving me the force to move ahead. After moving in this fashion for some time I started feeling suffocated. Probably there was very less oxygen deep inside the tunnel. I halted and took deep breaths. As I regained breath after some time I started moving ahead. After moving for some time I could see some light ahead of me. I was thrilled as I knew that the light was coming from the other side of the tunnel. As I moved a bit further I saw a lot of roots. These were the roots of the Tree. It was a web of roots I had to climb the roots. Slowly I started climbing up the roots. I was still lying down as there was no space. Getting hold of the roots w giving me some push upwards. Crawling upwards in the same fashion clearing the roots (by breaking them with my hands) where ever they obstructed my path I was slowly moving ahead. Moving some more time this way I gradually reached the tip of the opening at the other end of the tunnel. By now mud was all over my face, my neck, my arms and every body part that was exposed. All my clothes were also soaked in mud and water. By the time I came out I was almost unrecognizable. Shashank and my Toli were still there.

 As I came out of the earthen pit everybody started clapping. It felt that I had not won the Samosa bet but won an Olympic gold. I was elated and so very proud of myself. Shashank could not believe his eyes. I had done something that probably he and others had thought would be impossible. Anyhow as I was completely drenched in mud and water I could not claim my reward at that point of time. I told my Toli that I will take a bath and meet them in the evening to enjoy my reward.

I went home took a bath and cleaned the clothes as well so that I could not be questioned by my parents about the reason for the presence of the silt on my clothes.

In the evening I met Shashank and my Toli and enjoyed the Samosa I had won. I did not perhaps win a Samosa I won respect for me in my Toli. I had boosted up self-esteem. The incidence had brought a confidence in me which I had felt never before. I learned a major lesson in life i.e. NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE...