Planning to go BUNGEE JUMPING?? Read on...

Date : 11/04/08 - Saturday.
We were all excited. We were headed to Bannerghatta Road where Bungee Jumping was being organised by CARE, an adventure sport organising company. We had made our reservations for reverse bungee, a variant of the traditional bungee jump, in which one was catapaulted from the ground to the open sky with a rope attached to one's back.

We reached there at around ten in the morning already late by an hour from the scheduled reporting time. On reaching there we were told that the setup for the reverse bungee was not yet done and that it would take another half an hour before everything was in place. We waited for half an hour. However, that half an hour turned into an hour and then into another and it went on until it was two in the afternoon. During the "setup" the organisers demonstrated and "tested" the reverse bungee with live demonstrators. The organisers, amongst themselves, had people of different weight categories. So when all the testing and demonstration was done, it was time for us to have a shot at it.

Initially, people below the weight of 55kgs were called, since they had different ropes for different weight categories. So it would be easier for them to change the ropes. Incidentally, there were only two people among the entire aspirant group below 55kgs. Both of them were amongst our group. Wow, so we were finally going to have a go at it. Both of them showed extreme excitement at the end of the jump. We were listening intently to their narration on how they felt and which part of their jump was the most scary.... which translated to the most thrilling. It all sounded so much of fun. Next was the turn of those people in the weight category of 60 to 80. Most of us were in that weight category. We lined up and our turn was after four other persons.

The first of the four, in no time, was through with his jump. He was talking about his thrilling experience to his friends while the second of the four was putting on his gear. After this there were two more and then it would be us. I wanted to watch this one properly, since I hadn't noticed the previous jumps appropriately owing to the fact that I was clicking photographs for my freinds and I couldn't see the entire view through the camera lens.

Well, he was ready for his jump. The crane had built enough tension in the rope to defeat the gravitational pull and fling him high into the air. The organiser, holding him, said ready... and released the hook that was holding him to the ground. The release catapaulted him high up in the air in no time. He was soon descending, and he would oscillate a few times before being helped onto the ground. But alas, that was not to happen. After his descent, midway through his first oscillation upwards, the contact point of the jacket broke and he had a free fall........

..........For a few seconds, I could not come to terms with the situation. My mind just went blank. I stood still, not knowing how to react. My feet were numb and I could almost feel my guts in my mouth. All the people in the arena crowded around the person to have a look. I too ran up to the spot. I will never forget the horrendous sight that lay in front of me. This guy could barely breathe, one of his hands had broken. There was severe damage to one of his limbs and blood was gushing out from his head and face. I couldn't bare to see more. I turned away and receded to a place away from the spot.

The place, which was so lively moments ago, had come to a pin-drop silence. Suddenly, one of the organisers shouts out asking if anybody had an OMNI. I was stunned. These people did not have any first-aid, let alone an ambulance. The nearest hospital was a good 10kms away and the heavy traffic on bannerghatta road would ensure that it would atleast take half an hour for an ambulance to reach the arena. Someone with a Scorpio volunteered to take him to the hospital. I was very skeptical on whether he would survive the traffic, since time was very crucial for him. It proved fatal..........

It was a tragic incident.... In hindsight, I was cursing myself on how I had failed to see the stark realities of the event. There was no safety net, no protective gear, no second line of defence if the cord snipped, no medical aid.. basically no guarantee if you would return alive. Yet, the quest for thrill, had blinded me against all these odds and I was ready to risk my life for it. Its a lesson learnt, but look at the price that we have had to pay for it. Its one my most painful lessons and nothing will reduce the scar that has been carved for ever. I hope, any of you ever going for an adventure sport will not be as foolish as me. Please avoid such high risk sports and even if you do intend to go for it, ensure that the safety measures are of the highest standards. Life is precious and for me, BUNGEE JUMPING is off my list of "TO DO's" for ever....