Udit Narayan on his family’s narrow escape from his building fire, “It took us 4 hours to carry my 108-year-old mother down, plus there were three dogs”

“When such a life-changing experience happens, you sit back and question your entire life. I celebrated by 69th birthday last month. I’ve seen it all: God has given me a wonderful family, a terrific career, success beyond anything I could ask for. What more can I ask for?” asked superstar singer Udit Narayan, who had a miraculous escape on Monday, January 6 when a part of his apartment block was engulfed in a fierce fire.“Now when you have called, I can speak about it. But yesterday I was numbed by our narrow escape. The fire was so ferocious that I wonder how we escaped. It was God’s blessings and the goodwill that I’ve collected over the years which spared our lives,” said Udit, on Tuesday evening.Reliving the nightmare of the night before Udit said, “The fire broke out in the home of kind neighbour Mishraji in the B-Wing. It was a short circuit in the air conditioner. We stay in the A-wing. In no time at all we could see balls of fire emanating from B-Wing with the fire threatening to engulf our wing.”There were complications in a quick escape from the fury of the fire. “You see, I have a 108-year-old mother Bhuvaneshwari Devi staying with me. My wife and I, plus the two inhouse helps couldn’t just run down. It took us nearly four hours to carry my mother down. Plus, there were three dogs,” he recalled.That Udit was a canine-lover came as news to this writer. “No no, they are my son Aditya’s dogs,” said Udit. “He loves them. He lives just opposite to our building with his wife and daughter. The housing arrangement suits all of us. Anyway, Aditya’s dogs stay with us. Back in my young days in the village, we would play with the dogs on the streets but never bring them home. Now, of course, they are part of the family and their safety during the fire was imperative.”Luckily for Udit and his family everyone was safe. “I don’t know how we did it,” he said. “But all of us were on the ground floor in the compound, just staring in shock at the leaping fire wondering what powers left us unscathed and grateful to God for sparing us. Through you, I want to tell all my fans and well-wishers that we are safe. Please pray that we never have to go through something like this again.”Udit said that this traumatic incident only confirmed what he already knows. “Every day, every moment of life is precious. Live your life to the fullest and never hurt anyone intentionally. Good karma helps you during difficult times,” he said.Also Read: ‘Dekha Tenu’ OG singer Udit Narayan REACTS to recreation of track for Mr & Mrs Mahi: “They did wait for me for four months, and it’s my mistake”