The Coffin Jump
By: Mukul Bhardwaj
Tags: Travel Writing, Adventure, Experience, Adventure Travel

It might be the edge of the cliff or the wind in my hair, I felt my soul pulling me back. The rush in my veins was evident that how the basic Rishikesh trip had turned in one hell of an adventure outing. I clearly didn’t sign up for that and the trip didn’t look like that in start.

After a long trekking we finally reached the camp site, we spread ourselves in the tents. Lunch was as expected, “Trash”. Well it wasn’t like our moms were waiting on the banks of the river but still food could have been better. Pissed off by food, we cooled our heads in the river. Gladly, I knew how to swim so I enjoyed most of it.

Sarthak said, “Paani me beh gaya to main nahi aara tujhe bachane”.

Varun added, “Aur agar paanch minute me bahar nahi aaya to main duba dunga aake”.

Pragya shouted from back, “Aajao hm sab nikal rahe hain next spot ke liye”.

The day was getting tiring and it was just 11 a.m.. We started again for a new spot and this time we were more excited because we were going to do river rafting. It was my first time and i clearly didn’t have any idea of what i was gonna face. The white water!!

We exclaimed with excitement when we saw the fine sand as we reached the higher point of the river.

Sarthak doubted, “Dude, ek call kar leta hu ghar pe mjhe paani par bharosa nahi hai.”

Varun and I laughed together. Varun was excited because it was his golden chance to show off his muscular strength.

Varun, “ Bhai jyada tight to nahi hori na tshirt?”

I said, “ Rafting me koi teri T-shirt nhi dekhne wala”

He replied, “ Haan tu to bolega hi, tereko pata hota kuch to tu single nahi hota. “

I frowned, “ Teri maut paani me hi hogi.”

Sarthak came back, “Yaar mummy kehri marna hai to acchi jagah marr paani me kaun dhundega tjhe”

Sarthak’s family is way interesting than this.

Soon we got all ready, with life jackets and in a team of sixes we set to go on each raft. I chose to be the left front and Varun on right. We pushed the raft in the water and there we started. The start was all instructions and dos — don’ts but as soon as we got hang of it, we were rowing with full might. In the heat of the moment i put some extra strength than what was needed which will result in two days of severe body ache after this trip.

The rapids brought the goosebumps and the splashes pulled our hearts out. The rafting was coming as the best thing on that trip. I changed places and sat on the front of raft, it was no stopping from there. Each splash on my face called the animal out of me and i shouted at my top voice whenever the wave shot us up. After few rapids we stopped on still water in between and few of us including me floated on the water around. The not so brave Sarthak was the first one to get in the water.

We regrouped with the other rafts near a cliff. An overly enthusiast guy asked our instructor “What if we jump from that cliff?”.

The instructor being a local laughed at him and said, “Bhaiya, paani ka hum nahi keh sakte kuch. Kitna andar jaayenge koodke hamahu nahi jaante.”

The guy said, “ Arre paani hi to hai chalo”

After few negotiations our raft stopped near the rocky bank. The instructor called his friends on other rafts and the guys jumped from a cliff near the water, just the life jacket, no harness, no help and no saving if you get lost in the water. This view attracted other crazy divers and in very few minutes there was a line of crazy heads climbing rocks to jump from a cliff in water. Seeing this rush our instructor guy chose to jump from a higher cliff at a near distance which was way scarier than the first. Most of them scattered seeing the height but few still chased the adrenaline. Matter of fact me and Sarthak were standing in the line at last. Our instructor going towards the new cliff called us and said we will jump from another one, so we accompanied without knowing he was going higher. As we reached the new spot, it was obvious that none of us imagined the height and believe me for a moment it felt like suicide. Going back the way we came felt more stupid, because slipping on rocks and falling from that height on rocks was sure end but jumping in water is always 50:50.

In next minute, i was looking at that over enthusiastic guy curled up on the leg of the instructor and pleading him, “Bhaiya please neeche le jao, mujhse ni hone ka.”

“Bhaiya please darr lagra, bhaiya main ni bhaiya main ni…”

The instructor stood him up said something in his ears and the guy stood there for a second then the instructor pushed him off the cliff.

Seeing that Sarthak said to me, “ Main keh raha tha saalo Goa chal lo, aagaye bh*****d Rishikesh marane”

I won’t lie, the feelings were clearly mutual.

Instructor told us to fold our hands on our body making a cross on chest and keeping feet close together. If we didn’t do any of that we would get severe splash injuries, falling flat on water. Basically you can’t move after you jump you are confined in your structure, the coffin, so you act dead and if you don’t follow all those you be almost dead. After 3 jumps and Sarthak’s pushing, it was my turn. I must have fainted or i don’t know what happened but i was unable to hear anything. I stood there in coffin position looking at instructor shouting at me, “Abe pagal hai kya, kood…..”.

A pause…. in this moment and i am serious, the life showed me how dumb i am, all my impulsive decisions went through my eyes. The last thing i heard was, “ Vo dekh saamne pahad” and the instructor pushed me. I shut my eyes and waited for the water to come. I waited, waited and waited. Water didn’t touch my feet, as i opened my eyes, mid air, i entered in the water. Deepest i have ever went inside the river, cutting the water, with full gravitational pull i went deepest. I saw all green and shades of blue, it was bliss. I noticed i was no more in the coffin. I felt the life around me, the energy within me. Slowly, i heard the music of water flowing in my ears and a pull towards surface. I floated up and up, when i came back on surface it was all chears and shouting. I was back in the world. I swam and reached the raft. I felt i renewed myself.

Pragya looked at me in shock, “ Mukul, tu pagal hai kya?!”

I laughed and said, “Shayad”.

Next half an hour went with 3 more Coffin jumps.