“I hit the crocodile with all my might to save myself,” said a cheerful Mudit Dandwate, who survived a crocodile attack on Sunday morning at Thattakere lake in Anekal, 38 km from the city.

Recollecting the incident, the 26-year-old said it was around 7.45 am and everything (the combat) was over in a few a seconds. “I had gone with my friend and my two dogs Potato and Pi to the lake. I had a very busy week and wanted to de-stress. So my friend and I decided to go on a trip. We would normally go cycling, trekking or driving around Bengaluru. But this one was not planned,” he said.

As Dandwate and his friend entered the lake, a crocodile chewed off his left hand.
“The road to the lake was partially tarred. We parked the car two kilometres away from the temple and started walking. As soon as Potato (his black Labrador) saw water, he ran to take a plunge. Worried about his safety, I went behind him. I did not realise that the lake had crocodiles in it. When I was playing with Potato and trying to bring him out of the lake, the crocodile caught hold my arm.

Initially, I did not realise what had happened. But when its teeth started piercing my hand, I got scared and I started to fight back. I punched the crocodile with my right hand on its jaw as hard as I could. I was angry, hurt and scared. I wanted to be alive. As soon its grip loosened slightly, I ran out of the lake as fast as I could,” he said. He said he did see some boards at the lake but they were in Kannada and had no visuals.

Dandwate, a mechanical engineer and head of Turtle Child Technology, a healthcare startup, added that he took off his shirt and tied it tightly around his hand to prevent blood loss and to remain conscious.

“My friend and I then sought the help of forest officials. I gave them my car keys and asked them to drive us out of there. They took care of Potato, Pi and my friend. They rushed me to Sagar Hospital. After getting initial treatment, I contacted my friend Dr Anjana Reddy in Hosmat Hospital. I was then shifted to Hosmat,” he said.
“I will start going to office once I am out of here,” he added.

Family, friends happy

Dandwate’s parents, sister and friends had a big smile on their faces as they saw him narrate the incident cheerfully. “My son survived a crocodile attack because of the blessings of the Almighty and his dear ones. I am very proud of my brave boy. He did not panic and has been smiling all through,” said Rekha Dandwate, his mother. Dandwate’s parents S P Dandwate, Rekha and his sister Manali rushed to Bengaluru on Sunday evening when they learnt of the incident. His friends recollect that they have been on many trips together. They are planning their next trip after Dandwate is discharged.

Friend designing prosthetic arm

Gaurav Parchani, Dandwate’s friend and colleague said he was working on creating a prosthetic arm for his friend. “Though Mudit himself is designing one for himself, I too am designing one which will be as close to a normal human hand as possible. I want to ensure Mudit has no problem and can carry on with his daily chores as comfortably as possible. With him designing one, he will have two,” he said. Help from doctors and other experts will also be taken,” Parchani said.

Doctor speaks

Dr Ajit Benedict Royan, medical director, Hosmat Hospital said Dandwate will be discharged by Saturday if his tissue culture and other reports come out positive. “We want to ensure that he has no other ailment or infection and the swelling reduces. The prosthetic arm will be attached after three weeks when his wounds have completely healed and swelling is not there,” he said. The doctors said he was walking around and had also started working from the hospital.