Uttarakhand survivor tales: 'Saw my husband die in front of me'

The Uttarakhand floods which affected tens of thousands of people, has brought out some unique stories, highlighting all facets of human nature. There are the tragedies of loss and devastation, there are disheartening tales of unscrupulousness and profiteering in the face of tragedy. However there are also extraordinary stories of kindness and bravery.

These are a few survivor tales.

Malti Devi:

Malti Devi has a tragic tale to tell. She had gone along with her husband and other family members. She is now back safely but after performing the last rites of her husband Shivnath. They could enter the temple together but they could not come out together.

“After the darshan we were about to start our journey back when all of a sudden there was a loud thunder and water started gushing down. Within minutes the place which was serene and surreal turned into a roaring nightmare. People started running here and there to save their lives. We also got shelter under a mountain. The place soon turned into a swarm of people. A place which could hardly accommodate 20 people had more than 200 people - each one falling and crushing the other. We could hardly breathe. My husband was gasping for breath and in front of my eyes I saw him breathing his last”, Malti says with tears rolling down her eyes incessantly.

Malti and her family carried the body of Shivnath with them for next two days. When the weather started clearing up the family was asking for help.

“But at a place where everyone is running to save their own life who would help others. We were somehow trying to find our way back home. I did not want to leave my husband (body) there. But everyone in my family thought if we were unable to save our own lives carrying his body would make things more difficult and we decided to perform his last rites. We collected some woods and I gave fire to my husband’s pyre”. A day later, the relief team rescued Malti and other family members.

Rajni Yadav: 

“The incident made us realise what hunger is and made us feel what the instinct of survival is. One person’s meal was divided among ten so that everyone gets some energy to stay alive. We had carried with us some snacks but it all finished in a day. We could not eat alone seeing so many hungry people around us and shared everything we had to eat”, says Rajni Yadav, a housewife.

Rajni had gone to Kedarnath in a package tour with a group of other women. Unfortunately she could not reach the temple as the day she arrived in Kedarnath town the tragedy occurred.

The hotel where the group had checked in was overcrowded within no time with people running for their lives finding shelter there. The food finished in a couple of days but humanity kept everyone alive there. “We had to stay hungry most of the time but I now feel lucky to have made my way back to my home”, says Rajni who is now counting her blessings sitting with her family members. “I could not do darshan but I am satisfied that at least I could do some good work at the doors of the deity and feed the hungry”, she says.