A fall before rising

A fall before rising – Ramchandran Jaikumar
Mountain climbing, a summer of 1966, Himalayan mountain,
Crisis –
About to take my next step, I heard a loud, explosive sound. Instinctively, I jumped to one side and my friend jumped to the other as the cornice fractured and fell beneath us.
I couldn’t control my speed. The mounds of snow I hoped might slow my run did nothing.
Unless I could get farther down and find shelter before I passed out, I knew my chances for survival were slim.
I can hardly describe those hours: the terrible loneliness and despair, the agonizing physical pain and cold – and the haunting knowledge that my friend had almost certainly perished.
I awoke to find a small woman, maybe forty years old, offering me food and water, cleaning my abrasions, and speaking in a language I could not understand.
The woman refused to leave me until my safe passage was assured, and refused to accept any payment for her kindness and generosity.
During my recuperation, I began to reflect on how fortunate I had been: lucky to have jumped to the right side of the cornice and survived, lucky to have walked in the right direction after my slide, luck to have stumbled upon the hut and its magnanimous occupant, and lucky to recover as well as I did.
Try to recognize your own advantaged position in the world, the “luck” given to you by a dedicated teacher or a loving parent. Above all, appreciate the responsibilities created when good fortune chose to smile upon you so abundantly.

Ramchandran Jaikumar, an expert in manufacturing sciences, won widespread recognition in 1976 with the development of the world’s first multiplant, online production control and distribution system.