JOIN US As floodwaters from the overflowing Ganga spilled over to Mahnar in Vaishali district, some 65 km from here, 28-year-old Saroj Patel became nervous.
His only concern was how to help his pregnant wife, Roshni Kumari reach a hospital so that she could deliver the baby safely in the adverse situation.
Just then, an NDRF team, headed by inspector Rajan, was passing through Mahnar. Roshni was carried to the boat in a make-shift stretcher. But time was running out for the woman, who had gone into labour. Before she could reach the Sadar Hospital, she delivered the baby on the boat. The birth was recorded at 5.55 pm, a few hours before Janmashtami celebrations were set to begin.
Her father-in-law aptly named the newly born Krishna. “We have heard the story of Krishna’s birth numerous times. It seems a Krishna is now born in my family too,” he told the NDRF personnel.
An overjoyed Saroj gave
Rs 5,000, which he had saved for hospital expenses, to the NDRF team to buy sweets. “We had a tough time convincing Saroj that he should keep the money with him and take care of his wife and child,” NDRF commandant Vijay Sinha said.
Second incident
This was the second time a baby was born on an NDRF boat. In 2013, when the NDRF team was in Bhojpur assisting flood-affected people, one Maya Devi developed labour pain and was rushed to the Ara Hospital. But before they could cross the flooded area, Maya’s labour pain intensified and she delivered the child on the NDRF boat with the assistance of the rescue team. So indebted was the couple towards the NDRF personnel that it immediately decided to name the baby NDRF Singh.
In August 2008, Manju Devi in Purnia named her new born daughter ‘Kosi’. This was because she had delivered the child in a flood relief camp that was set up after a swollen Kosi river rendered lakhs of people homeless and caused incalculable loss in the region.