An original reflective essay on earthquake, written by our student Arnav Govil.

Arnav is 13 years old young writer from Gurgaon. He is enthusiastic about Cricket. We are proud to have him as a student of the Little Writers Program, an Online Creative Writing Program using Applied Storytelling & Applied Theatre tools under the mentorship of Trainer Khusshbo Chokhaani. We congratulate Arnav for this exemplary true self-expression.

Experiencing An Earthquake

Imagine the ground shaking, people around you panicking, evacuating the buildings and cupboards, fridges, and every tall object in the house that is about to fall. The shaking of the ground is most likely to happen during an earthquake. An earthquake is the sudden shaking of the earth’s surface. Earthquake is the only natural disaster that can’t be predicted before it happens, this is what makes them dangerous. I have been living in a place where earthquakes do not come often. Though a dangerous earthquake came recently, this was a learning experience for me.

It was around 10:30 pm, I was sitting with my family and watching a movie. Suddenly my father told us that the bed moved, and my mother said she also felt the same. My sister came out of her room and told us she saw the fan shaking. Is it an Earthquake!!!!! That was the first thought that crossed everybody’s mind. We were confused about whether to hide in a corner, under a table, or leave the house. Eventually, we all went out of the house, my mother rang the bell of our neighbor and told them to leave the house. I saw many people descending the stairs. Many young people were helping the old people descending the stairs. We also rushed down, and on the way, I saw many people who were not even wearing shoes or slippers. When we reach downstairs, I saw many people with bags. I got to know that they were carrying important things like water, money, identity cards, property papers, and other important stuff. Everyone sat in the park. The park had more people than trees and green grass. It was stuffed with people carrying cell phones. Everyone gathered with their friends and started to talk with each other about the earthquake. About half an hour later everyone decided to go back home, we also came back home. The next day when I met my friends, they all were saying that the earthquake measured high on the Richter scale.

For me, it was a memorable experience. I learned a lot of things from this dangerous episode. I learned that during such a time we should always help the old people living around us. We should not panic during such a natural disaster and act and think calmly. I also learned that we should keep a bag with important documents such as property papers, identity cards, some money, and other important documents, which we can take with us during an emergency. I feel I have become more mindful. Mindful to act on the spot. Mindful to act responsibly. Mindful to take relevant action immediately for the safety of my family, myself, and those around me. They say if you pay attention, every moment can teach you something. To pay attention to each moment I feel one must be mindful; this is what I have become after this episode.

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