A night(mare) that will haunt Patiala

Half asleep,the villagers woke up to the panic announcements from the local gurdwara’s loudspeakers which belted out alarm messages of how the flood was advancing and how it was more furious than ever before.

“We saw the floods in 1993 also but it was nothing like this.The water current last night was so strong that we felt we would not survive at all. It seemed life itself would be flooded away,” said 80-year-old Surjit Singh of the village,one among the hundreds who were awake through the night running from pillar to post to save their few last belongings.

From erecting makeshift bandhs outside the village hutments to securing small little belongings on the terrace tops,the villagers did everything they could to hold on to whatever possible. First they ran for lives and then for belongings,gathered through years of toiling.

“I suddenly woke up from my sleep and saw everyone in the village running for cover and trying to save whatever they could,while fearing for their family members. I also started erecting bandhs around my house to protect it from the gushing waters,while others in the family carried their belongings on the roof-top,” said Gurmukh Singh,a farmer.

Another farmer,Gurdeep Singh,said his stored grains were destroyed in the floods. “We lost everything in just a few minutes. Our fields have submerged under seven feet water and our houses under three feet water. We are living on the roof -tops of our houses,” he said.

Narrating the harrowing tale of the night,Chamkaur Singh said,“We woke up hearing screams and calls for help. The labourers sleeping on the outskirts of the village were running for life and came towards the village. Soon a call came from the nearby dera and a quick announcement was made from the village gurdwara.”

“The water took away everything. We felt it was the end of the world. It was like witnessing death,” said another village elder Hari Singh,who laboured all night to save his family. But in the hours of crisis,the villagers stuck to one another,together braving the waters. Today,they ate at the community kitchen even as boats were pressed into action and the National Disaster Response Force arrived along with the local authorities..

Bagga Singh came out of the village in a boat only to see a mela outside the village,as water continued to gush in. “I have just finished storing my essentials and household items. It has been a tough night for us”.

With people atop their roofs and water all around,the villagers are now praying for no more rains. No one has been hurt in the caving in of concrete walls,as the mud under them has submerged.

With the dawn today,hope returned. Children were out in the fields playing in seven ft deep water,as if nothing had happened. But the village will remember one thing forever,it was not just another night.