" Incident , Accident or Coincident "

Incident, Accident, Coincident are words which not only rhyme well but also have a close call within themselves.

Incident is that which happens. It is liable to occur. Incident becomes an event when it happens. Incident is also a subordinate action as a 'naturally belonging to' like an income tax raid on suspects. An old friend ,sometimes, call on incidentally, while going for some work. Light falls on a plane which is referred as incident and the angle of incidence has some reference in Physics. Incidental Music is the music accompanying the action.

Incidentally, I presume you would have read my previous mail, informing about our forthcoming tour . We also thank for those who have responded " Bon- Voyage " !

Accident is also that happens but is related to chance mechanism. Should Rahul Dravid calls the toss correctly , has a close link with the probability of 0.50 - a chance mechanism. It will be an unexpected event. It will be also treated as not essential. There is no cause, one can attribute. However, when there is a chapter of accidents or series of accidents, the authorities should find ways and means to arrest such happenings within some limits. Accidents still can happen as it is unforeseen.

Coincidence is also an event but has more positive co-relations. The occurrence of events simultaneously or consecutively in a striking manner like Indian Wickets falling in the middle order in the World Cup. There is no casual connection between the events . That is why they are referred as coincidence. But if two trains coincide, it is called an accident and later History refer them as incidents. Sometimes we accidentally step into some friend's house where some incident like a birth day party would be taking place and the friends who greet each other exclaim " What a Coincidence " !

A short story comes to my mind at present, incidentally. Ramu was a proud person. He used to boast that he cooked himself, buys all needed himself, and said he had no need to depend on others. He was diabetic and his family Physician had advised him to take the supper before or atleast by 8 p.m. That day he happily sat for dinner sharp at 8p.m. As he was about to serve himself, he heard a knock at the door. He stood up from the sitting posture and went to open the door. He saw an old and respectable looking person who enquired some information about some ' Krishnamurthy Sastrigal ' and so on. Ten minutes passed and both came to realize that the old man had knocked the wrong door. Ramu sighed a relief and sat again for dinner at 8.10 p.m. As he was about to take hold of the rice vessel, the telephone rang. Ramu paused a while but the ring was making more striking sound. He decided to answer the call. The caller was very courteous but was beating the bush. They both invented that it was a ' wrong number ' call only after a passage of another 10 minutes. Ramu hit his head with his hand and with a sigh before sitting on the floor for his dinner. He was hungry and also remembered his Physician's advice. But this time when he was about to eat , he was stopped by no less a person than his wife Alamelu. " Don't start eating, without answering my query ", Alamelu sounded. Ramu looked at her pathetically. Alamelu had the choice this time to speak to her husband " You boast for every thing, you cooked yourself, you served the leaf yourself, Then Why couldn't you eat at 8 p.m. itself. ??. You need not have answered anybody. You had all the authority in the world, according to you, to mind eating atleast at 8p.m." She went on to question her husband,
" Was the delay caused due to an incident, accident or a coincident " ?

Ramu learnt a lesson for good, not to boast himself , and realized that there is a third or external Power which governs things.