Steady there . . .

Just a few minutes ago I heard the vegetable-man chanting his sing-song list of vegetables in Hindi on the street below as he slowly pedalled his three-wheeler by. I ran down the stairs to catch him out front to buy some much needed aloo, pyaaz, tamatar, sem, and capsicum. As he was bagging my potatoes, I noticed his flat-bed tricycle swaying back and forth as if it had been nudged from the side. My first thought was "a top-heavy cart like that must act like an upside down pendulum on those skinny wheels."

Then came the dizziness. My next thought was "I should have eaten breakfast sooner. It's not the cart, it's me. I'm having trouble keeping my balance..."

Then came the neighbors. All pouring out of their homes with looks of curiosity and panic. As I waved at our downstairs neighbor Veejay, he asked, "Do you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"The earthquake!"

Then came my understanding.

At 9:25am, an earthquake, believed to have its epicenter in northern Pakistan, shook northern India with a reported Richter scale force of 7.6. Chances are, those in the US probably know more about it than I do at this point.

After buying the rest of my veggies, I raced upstairs to answer a phone call from Jennifer. She called on a mobile from the assembly field of the school, as all the buildings had been evacuated, to say everyone was fine.


She was teaching on the top floor of the school when the earthquake sent them swaying. After their quick evacuation she said, "We could still see the building swaying back and forth for a while once we got out." Thankfully the buildings here more resemble concrete-clad army bunkers than they do architectual abstractions.

We're both safe - though parts of Pakistan and Northern India didn't fare as well. The most recent estimates list 18,000 dead and 40,000 injured. Please pray for these families and communities.
Jimmy