Major
Ravishankar HN, of the 120 Engineer Regiment from Pune, talks about
his experiences during the floods in Kerala
Photos: Major Ravishankar HN; Ravishankar (right) with subedar BS Jadhav and another colleague
By
Shevlin Sebastian
The
rain was falling in sheets as Major Ravishankar HN of the 120
Engineer Regiment from Pune set out in a metallic boat along with a
few colleagues in other boats from Thottakkattukara in North Paravur
to Aluva. He had been told that a few people were taking shelter in a
mosque at Aluva. Local guides Anthony and I. Akbar were with
him.
When they reached the mosque, he noticed that the ground floor was flooded. But on the first and second floor, there were 400 people, of different faiths, who were cramped together in a tiny area.
So the rescue began. “Firstly, we collected the disabled, old people, mothers, young children, and many who required medical attention,” says Ravishankar, at a Kochi hotel. “Those who took medicines regularly were not able to take them as it was all washed away in the water. So they were suffering the after-effects.”
The team did several trips. “In the end, we saved 75 people while people on private and fishermen boats also helped and got everybody to safety,” he says.
On one trip, when they were returning, Ravishankar received a call on his mobile. It was Major Vikas Kumar Shrivastava, his unit officer, who is now based in Delhi. “He told me that a few lecturers in a college that he had studied in Aluva were stranded at the same mosque,” says Ravishankar. “He asked me to rescue them.”
Ravishankar promised to do so. But when he checked he discovered that they had already been saved. Very soon, the lecturers called Vikas and expressed deep gratitude. Not surprisingly, Vikas quickly called Ravishankar and thanked him.
On another occasion when they approached a building which held a group of people, one of the members said, “Don’t rescue us, there is someone a little further away who needs more help.” This turned out to be a pregnant lady, in her eighth month, who was bleeding. “We rescued the 26-year-old,” says Ravishankar. “And she has been treated and is okay now.”
Interestingly, more than the desire to be evacuated, the people were looking for food parcels and water bottles. “Many of them were starving, especially in the remote areas,” says Ravishankar. “They were beyond the reach of Air Force helicopters who were air-dropping the packets.”
In fact, according to the Major's calculation, he was receiving anywhere between 300 to 600 calls every day, and all of them were for food. They came to know of his number because it had been flashed on one of the news channels. “As a result, we were always carrying food packets and water bottles in all our boats,” says Ravishankar.
Meanwhile, the Army team was impressed by the attitude of the people. “The people were not scared or worried,” says subedar BS Jadhav. “Nobody cried, whether it be an old person or a child. They remained calm and waited patiently. In fact, they were very confident we would come and rescue them.”
For Ravishankar, the eye-opener was the inherent sense of syncretism among the people. “It is only at moments of extreme distress that the essential human nature comes out,” he says. “And in Kerala, everybody had forgotten about their caste, creed or religion and came together.”
Even the administration came together. “There was such a high degree of coordination between the Inspector General of Police Vijay Sakre, Rahul Nair, Superintendent of Police, Aluva, District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla and myself. As a result, we were sent to places where no one had gone,” says Ravishankar.
And in one such journey, the team recovered six dead bodies. These people had been taking shelter in a building next to the St. Xavier’s church at Kuthiyathodu and it collapsed. “It was pitch-dark but we used searchlights for navigating,” says Ravishankar. “It was also raining heavily but we managed to get the job done.”
In fact, so focused was the team on rescue that they frequently missed having meals. “You will not believe this, but we worked for 72 hours at a stretch,” he says.
In between all this hectic work, Ravishankar would take two calls, in the morning and evening. It was from his wife Meghana, at Pune, who would inquire about his well-being while Ravishankar would ask about his 22-month-old son Aakarsh.
Apart from rescue work, he was specifically asked by A Kowsigan, the Managing Director of the Kerala Water Authority to help restore the main substation at the Aluva water treatment plant. “With the help of engine fitters, we were able to repair the pumps and transformers within four hours,” says Ravishankar. “I was happy to know that more than three lakh people received water at their homes soon after that.” Later, the team also repaired the pump houses at Choondi, Muppathadam and Ramamangalam.
Even though it is 10.30 p.m., Ravishankar shows no signs of tiredness. “It has been an enormous experience for me, as well as my team,” he says. “And this is what I have understood. Life hangs by a thread. Anything can happen at any time. So cherish each and every moment.”
When they reached the mosque, he noticed that the ground floor was flooded. But on the first and second floor, there were 400 people, of different faiths, who were cramped together in a tiny area.
So the rescue began. “Firstly, we collected the disabled, old people, mothers, young children, and many who required medical attention,” says Ravishankar, at a Kochi hotel. “Those who took medicines regularly were not able to take them as it was all washed away in the water. So they were suffering the after-effects.”
The team did several trips. “In the end, we saved 75 people while people on private and fishermen boats also helped and got everybody to safety,” he says.
On one trip, when they were returning, Ravishankar received a call on his mobile. It was Major Vikas Kumar Shrivastava, his unit officer, who is now based in Delhi. “He told me that a few lecturers in a college that he had studied in Aluva were stranded at the same mosque,” says Ravishankar. “He asked me to rescue them.”
Ravishankar promised to do so. But when he checked he discovered that they had already been saved. Very soon, the lecturers called Vikas and expressed deep gratitude. Not surprisingly, Vikas quickly called Ravishankar and thanked him.
On another occasion when they approached a building which held a group of people, one of the members said, “Don’t rescue us, there is someone a little further away who needs more help.” This turned out to be a pregnant lady, in her eighth month, who was bleeding. “We rescued the 26-year-old,” says Ravishankar. “And she has been treated and is okay now.”
Interestingly, more than the desire to be evacuated, the people were looking for food parcels and water bottles. “Many of them were starving, especially in the remote areas,” says Ravishankar. “They were beyond the reach of Air Force helicopters who were air-dropping the packets.”
In fact, according to the Major's calculation, he was receiving anywhere between 300 to 600 calls every day, and all of them were for food. They came to know of his number because it had been flashed on one of the news channels. “As a result, we were always carrying food packets and water bottles in all our boats,” says Ravishankar.
Meanwhile, the Army team was impressed by the attitude of the people. “The people were not scared or worried,” says subedar BS Jadhav. “Nobody cried, whether it be an old person or a child. They remained calm and waited patiently. In fact, they were very confident we would come and rescue them.”
For Ravishankar, the eye-opener was the inherent sense of syncretism among the people. “It is only at moments of extreme distress that the essential human nature comes out,” he says. “And in Kerala, everybody had forgotten about their caste, creed or religion and came together.”
Even the administration came together. “There was such a high degree of coordination between the Inspector General of Police Vijay Sakre, Rahul Nair, Superintendent of Police, Aluva, District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirulla and myself. As a result, we were sent to places where no one had gone,” says Ravishankar.
And in one such journey, the team recovered six dead bodies. These people had been taking shelter in a building next to the St. Xavier’s church at Kuthiyathodu and it collapsed. “It was pitch-dark but we used searchlights for navigating,” says Ravishankar. “It was also raining heavily but we managed to get the job done.”
In fact, so focused was the team on rescue that they frequently missed having meals. “You will not believe this, but we worked for 72 hours at a stretch,” he says.
In between all this hectic work, Ravishankar would take two calls, in the morning and evening. It was from his wife Meghana, at Pune, who would inquire about his well-being while Ravishankar would ask about his 22-month-old son Aakarsh.
Apart from rescue work, he was specifically asked by A Kowsigan, the Managing Director of the Kerala Water Authority to help restore the main substation at the Aluva water treatment plant. “With the help of engine fitters, we were able to repair the pumps and transformers within four hours,” says Ravishankar. “I was happy to know that more than three lakh people received water at their homes soon after that.” Later, the team also repaired the pump houses at Choondi, Muppathadam and Ramamangalam.
Even though it is 10.30 p.m., Ravishankar shows no signs of tiredness. “It has been an enormous experience for me, as well as my team,” he says. “And this is what I have understood. Life hangs by a thread. Anything can happen at any time. So cherish each and every moment.”
(The
New Indian Express, Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram)
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