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Journalism of Courage
It’s an irony of sorts for Bamroli village. Amid the gloom — it accounted for maximum number of deaths in the Wednesday mishap — there are tales of survival and a providential escape.
Sunil Baria (13), a student of Navjivan Higher Secondary School who survived the accident, said, “There were two boys and around 15 girls from the village who opted to go by the bus on Wednesday morning. The driver was driving the bus rashly and suddenly we felt a jerk. With no time to react, I found myself in the canal and tried to break open the glass window.”
He said though he knew swimming, he could not have survived had he not been helped by “an uncle” who provided a shawl for him to cling on. Sunil added that a few others were also rescued by the same person.
Then there are parents of a small group of students who cannot stop thanking God, for their children missed the ill-fated bus in the morning.
Rajendra Baria (14), one of the five boys who opted to go by a six-seater rickshaw after missing the bus, said, “The incident occurred in front of us. However, we were scared that we will be late for exams, not knowing that the exams were cancelled.”
Their parents did not let the children go out of sight, even as the rest of the village made funeral preparations for the dead. Rajendra himself is confused. While he is happy to be alive, he has lost his playmates.
Ghulam Khatri, an eyewitness to the incident, said, “There is no doubt Bodeli has shown solidarity. Soon after the accident, I reached the place and contacted local residents to arrange for cranes. It was the villagers who took the bus out of the canal. Government officials arrived two hours later.”
