Every day, many people come from faraway places to have a glimpse of Mohammed Manik at his home in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district. From his school teachers to relatives and neighbours, everyone is proud of Manik, who rescued around 10 people after they were stuck in the flash floods on the Mal river during the immersion of Durga idols on Dashami last week.
Manik, however, is humble as ever, saying that he just did his duty.
"The life of those helpless men, women and children who were stuck in the river were more valuable at that time than mine," said the welder, who is in his twenties.
At the end of the rescue, even Manik got wounded and was admitted to a hospital for treatment. He is at his home at Teshimala village in Malbazar block now. The man’s family is worried about him as he is not feeling like eating anything.
The horrific scenes of that night flashes before his eyes time and again. Around 450 people were rescued from the Mal after eight people drowned due to the tragic incident. Some people are still searching for any possible missing person on the river.
Manik has become a hero now and several organisations have felicitated him. He appealed to everyone is that they should be beside others in any way possible. One of his school teachers feels that service to humans by keeping aside religion and caste is the biggest religion. a
Published 11 October 2022, 11:09 IST