Fear saved my life

The vessel was moving in a crawl. My commanding officer (CO) V J Malani’s face was a mask of worry ( He had his wife and two-year-old son travelling with him). The weather was getting ominously bad and then someone shouted that the anchor of the ship had come loose. My heart slowly squeezed as I felt fear.But before I could think, my CO was barking orders at me and my colleague cadet Gautam. He asked us to remain on the station and help pick up the anchor when the engine started. An engine usually takes about twenty minutes to start working. We waited, the waves around us gained height and the water sloshed in but we waited. Then, suddenly the ship started rolling heavily, nearly thirty degrees towards the port. Fast winds, slapping tides and a slight drizzle – I was consumed by one though: God, please, please God I want to reach home safely. I turned around to ask my CO for further directions. But like some horror film, my CO who had seconds ago been standing near me, was nowhere to be seen.

Just as I thought I was losing control I heard the CO’s voice over the railings. He had been thrown into the sea. "Get the life-jackets," he cried, in a tone I have never heard him use before. I turned towards the cabins to get the jackets, in the hope that the ship will retain its balance soon. Even as I was turning in that micro second I saw a wave nearly 30 feet high looming upon us.

In that split of a moment I made a decisionperhaps it was not even a conscious onebut one that saved by life. I jumped over the railings, into the cold, choppy waters of the Arabian Sea. I just turned for one last look and saw the ship, like some a giant whale toppling over on the side into the sea. Now, in more sane moments I can rationalise how I survived. Fear, was the great catalyst. With my life in my own hands, I decided to fight. I swam as hard as I could, as far away from the ship as the waves would permit.

And then, like something straight out of a book, I saw log floating closeby. I clawed my way towards it and clung for dear life, for nearly 45 minutes. I just keep thinking of my how that I might never see again.

But then due to the fear, the exhaustion, my mind started numbing and just as I was on the verge of blacking out I saw an orange object some distance away. At first I thought I was dreaming, I had heard that people hallucinate when the moment of death comes. But I fought off the thought, and looked hard again. It was a life raft. It’s difficult to describe what I felt.

Relief, of course. But more than that it was triumphant conviction: I knew I would make it. As I swam towards it, I saw that the raft had another occupant, a man who hung by its side. I climbed into the life boat and with the little strength that I had left in me, I pulled him in. He was an engineer in the ship. The water that had accumulated in the raft made me apprehensive of its safety. I started pouring the water out with my hands when I saw a visionI guess it was my day for them`Veer Ssavarkar’ one of the vessels of the Shipping Corporation of India. As I clambered aboard the rescue ship, my body aching, my clothes tattered, there was one thought on my mind: Sure, it was good to be alive.

As told to Sandeep K M ind¬Ut›B¼Tt›ely . One of the bullets hit Kavitkar in his abdomen and two pierced an accused, Kalolo. Kavitkar was rushed to nearby Leelavati hospital and Kalolo was taken to Bhabha Hospital. A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed against the accused for obstructing government officers on duty and attempt to murder. During the search operation, 1 kg of heroine of Pakistan origin was recovered. Two of the accused have been arrested and remanded to NCB custody, but the main accused, Lamini, is still at large. Zonal Director of NCB, Omprakash, said, “The officer nabbed two of the accused and seized 1 kg of heroin despite grave risk to his life.” But Kavitkar, currently under treatment at Leelavati hospital, maintained, “I was just doing my duty.” of ¬Ut›