None believed that I was alive!: Sabyasachi Mishra

This incident happened way back in 2001. Yet, I get goosebumps thinking of it today. There have been times when I felt like laughing it off. But then again, when I walk back memorylane to think about the day, a chill runs down my spine.
A student of Class XII, I was very popular in my college. My friends would rave about my dancing skills. I used to idolize Hrithik Roshan and would dress and walk exactly like the way he did. My choreography to the songs, “Kaho naa... pyaar hai” and “Ek pal ka jeena”, would be appreciated by all and sundry.
Then, an unfortunate event took place at the New Year’s party in 2001, where a boy my age died of heart attack. News spread that it was none other than me! I was out of town on a long holiday with my family and there was no one to correct the news. This was before the advent of mobile phones. Obviously then, I was not in touch with my friends on a regular basis.
Little did I know that the news would spread like wildfire. Even my friends thought that I had died! They couldn’t contact me or my family members. The New Year celebrations were cancelled as they went into mourning. One of them even cancelled his birthday bash! So, imagine their shock when I joined college after the vacation. My friends couldn’t believe their eyes as they hugged me and started crying. I was crestfallen. It was tough answering all those questions. I literally had to convince everyone that I was alive. I have faced many a difficult situation in my life, but none can match up to this!
As told to Madhusree Ghosh