A fisherman, Ganesh idol plank and a boy found alive at sea 26 hours later

“Karan was struggling but Lakhan managed to get hold of him and bring him near the shore. Suddenly, Lakhan was pulled back into the sea. This was around 1.30 pm. His grandmother shouted for help and some youths waded into the water, but could not find him. The fire department and Dumas police were alerted and a search was conducted, but there was no sign of Lakhan,” his uncle Vijay Devipujak told The Indian Express.

Around 3 pm on September 30, Rasik Tandel (48), a fisherman from Bhat village in Navsari district, was on a boat far off the coast, accompanied by his assistants. “We couldn’t get a good catch so we sailed ahead, up to 12 nautical miles. At a distance, I noticed something suspicious. We decided to go closer and found someone waving his hands. We were confused how a boy was in the middle of the sea with no boat and only a wooden seat. We threw him a rope and pulled him in. We admire the grit it must have taken to survive 26 hours like that,” he told The Indian Express.

“We gave him water and tea, a fresh pair of clothes, and a blanket. He told us how he got swept away while saving his brother. He shared the numbers of his father and uncle. Through a wireless set, I spoke to boatmen who were returning to Dholai port in Navsari. Marine police were alerted and given his parents’ number,” he said.

Inspector M R Chavda of Navsari marine police station said, “After getting information from a fisherman, I intimated Superintendent of Police Sushil Agrawal. At Dholai port, we arranged an ICU ambulance and a team of doctors. We also told the boy’s family members, who stay in Surat, to reach there. Around 4 am on Sunday, Rasik Tandel’s boat, called the Navdurga, reached the port and we got Lakhan checked by the doctors. After he met his parents, he was taken to Nirali hospital, where was kept under observation for a day.”

On Monday, he was welcomed back home by friends, family and the local Devipujak community, who took out a procession to celebrate his return. Navsari BJP leaders meanwhile felicitated the fisherman, Rasik Tandel, for saving the boy’s life.

Vijay, the boy’s uncle, said: “Ganesh Visarjan took place on September 28, and large idols were immersed into the Dumas sea. The wooden plank (on which a statue was erected) drifted close to Lakhan during the night, and he climbed on top of it. Ganpati saved my nephew’s life.”

He said that before the fisherman noticed him, Lakhan had tried to catch the attention of a passing ship, but in vain.

The boy’s father, Vikash Devipujak, told The Indian Express: “We had lost hope of finding him alive. We continued looking for his body to perform the last rites. When we saw him, we were speechless, and all we could do was cry. We met Rasik and the others and thanked them for saving his life.”