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| Paul Varghese, Mathirappalli, Kaniyampuzha, Ernakulam |
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Paul Varghese of Mathirappalli keeps vigil near Kaniyampuzha River for those likely to be drowned. This diver cum fisherman has so far saved 6 persons from the watery grave.
His house being close to the river and 3 bridges, the scope for rescue work is all the more. His unforgettable rescue mission began one afternoon when, while resting, he heard a desperate shout from the other bank: “Paul, a woman has jumped into the river.” Immediately he and his brother Dasan dived into the water. As the sari-clad woman was sinking to the bottom, the brothers lifted her up and brought her ashore. It was then that she revealed the shocking news: her son was also with her.
“I dived again with hardly any hope to bring the boy alive,” says Paul. But as he dived deeper, his leg contacted the body of the 7-year-old. “I brought him ashore without much hope. But fortunately he recovered after 2 days of treatment at Vyttila hospital.”
He remembers another attempted suicide when a woman jumped into the river. As she got stuck in the mud below, he had to pull her by her hair and lift her. At another time he saved his neighbour Gopi who fell down unconscious and rolled into the river.
A good diver, he has worked for many shipping companies. They employ him to dive and find out the damage to the propeller of ships.
Paul is ever ready to save those who venture into the depths of Kaniyampuzha.
Paul with his country boat
Courtesy: Suresh Thrippunithura (text), EVS (photo), Metro, Malayala Manorama, January 29, 2003
Contributed by: Administrator
