Unsung Hero

Unsung Hero

     Reading newspaper has always been an addiction to me. I don’t remember exactly when and how I started reading newspaper but all I can say is that it came naturally to me. I have always enjoyed the privilege of having access to more than one news paper everyday. Even my favourite  prescription for improving knowledge of current affairs which I usually give  to my students as and when I get an opportunity, is read at least  two newspapers and one magazine. I must admit that the quality material that I read and have been reading in newspapers has shaped my thought process, gave me some viewpoints on socio-political issues, encouraged me to think differently and off course immense pleasure everyday. Along with news I like analytical articles, editorials, articles of great personalities, articles on greatness of a personality and finally mapping a personality for greatness and matured human element of sensitivity.

  Given our penchant for sensational news we often find scams, murders, given prominence. Page three gossips, celebrities, their affairs real as well as fabricated make for good readership. We are so interested in private life of others, so much attracted to the glamorous world that we tend to read all at times foolish stories about it. Ridiculous brawls in five star hotels, intemperate behavior at public places by stardom have all been and continue to be part of our daily meals. Obviously we are being served over dose of all this spicy material. Intellectual inputs expected from newspaper find space on editorial page but not many read. As for the information content so much is available as to confuse the reader what to read. In this chaos what is often lost is the information about exceptional selfless efforts in making life easier for needy by people who prefer to maintain low profile, are devoid of shine, who do the job considered menial by many.

       Even if something is published in all probability it is missed for we in our busy routine tend to focus first on corruption, scandals, scams, murders, terrorists attacks, bomb blasts, accidents, stars’ dust, ramp walk, cat walk… by the time we shift to something more human, pleasant, divinely beautiful we are on the verge of getting late to our mundane affairs, prompting us to close the pages, ultimately putting the brakes to our possibly journey into a world nicer, serene, divinely attractive. Engraved in our habits we tend to miss inadvertently initially and habitually later.  

        Getting enticing material is easy but reading something inspiring is rare. What inspires you is a personal choice. Occasionally you hit into something leaving you awestruck. Recently I was reading Marathi weekly Lokprabha, I completed reading about our Olympic preparations, possibility of getting a medal, rationale behind our poor show then unintentionally locked on to Dinakar Kamble, a social worker. Soon I find myself totally engrossed in the article. He is to say simply is a rescue worker doing the job voluntarily. But calling him a rescue man won’t give him justice. He rescues dead bodies from accidents, drowning tragedies, suicides... Absolutely unglamorous job, but one of the most difficult considering the condition of the bodies mutilated, stinking, mangled, swollen…

      In most of the accidents it is really hard to come to terms with the horrific scene, blood, human flesh strewn all over, bodies cramped in broken metal chassis, in the cases of drowning the condition of the dead body is even worse, it is often decomposed to obnoxious state, smelling unbearably and worst partially eaten up by fishes, touching …come on.. even watching these bodies is testing. When even relatives find it hard to touch Dinkar comes to the rescue of the body. In case of suicide Dinkar will be there silently untangling the body from the rope it is hooked to, in difficult terrain also you will find Dinkar taking the body up, in remote places also Dinkar will be there taking the body on his shoulder walking 2-3 miles to hand over the body to relatives. Where nobody goes he reaches, where all helplines end his begins, what nobody could touch he carries it on his shoulders, when society is busy fighting along lines of caste, religion, language, region he is making bonds of humanity with bereaved family handing over them the dead body, when for almost everything we have to pay bribe he is on his way voluntarily.

      Dinkar lives near Kolhapur, works in a garage, has a small family and a large area of operation. He has so far handed over 1421 bodies, all met with unfortunate demise, untimely death in tragic circumstances. He is also a one man rescue army and has so far saved 275 lives. Mind boggling figures!! He was awarded with bravery award by Governor of Maharashtra for saving lives of five people swimming against, in the river with all encompassing swell and deadly flow. He goes deeper in ravines in search of any survivors in case of an accident involving a vehicle falling from altitude in dangerous terrain, he can also catch the deadly viper intruding in human colony saving both the animal and humans. He is a man who can do any kind of rescue operation. He has taken training, he is equally well updated with new rescue methods.

     It is really difficult to believe that somebody can do all this for no monetary gains, no glitter, no glamour, no accolades, and not much appreciation. He is involved in human tragedies which nobody would love to be part of. What drives him to do this, which handful will do for money, few will do out of compulsion but most will not do even for money? He sealed his involvement in such tragic incidents when he was 14 years. A tragedy happened in his family then. The wife of his brother fell in a well, she died but the body was stuck inside the well. It got badly decomposed, mutilated, swollen, parts eaten up and discharging intolerable stench. Nobody was ready to remove it from well even for Rs.5000. Finally Dinkar jumped in, carried the poor soul’s remains out of well. A new Dinkar was born there. He pledged to himself that he would now rescue not just human survivors but also soulless bodies.

     He does not stop here. He moves on his bike with a sticker ‘Emergency Life Saver’. He has started Disaster Rescue Life Guard Society to train likeminded men to build a team for such operations. For public awareness he organized a photo exhibition of his work. What we find hard even to watch he carries on his shoulder. He is a man with supreme sense of humanity with amazing control over his senses. Going through the list of people who get yearly awards by Govt. for contribution to society, I find myself stopped at some names, the question then surfaces is the glitter of glamour is the source of blindness of the Govt.? Fortunately there are men who are rendering selfless service to humanity with no expectation of appreciation.

     I am thankful to Lokprabha for saving space for Dinkar, giving us an inspiring story. I am at pain to feel that it took 1421 bodies and rescue of 275 survivors for an article that took his work to me. My sense of pride as a good newspaper reader is hurt that I missed about him, if something about him appeared, but it is even more tragic that the media also missed him in taking him to remote corner of not just Maharashtra but India.   

   He is a man with small family but huge heart. He hasn’t broken his tryst with destiny. He is carrying on his shoulder the burden most of us cannot bear. At least we must not carry the burden of indifference.

Dinkar Kamble : 9860945924

Reference: An article by Savita Nabar in Lokprabha Marathi weekly 1 June 2012