The Hindu : Karnataka / Bijapur News : Students relive the tsunami nightmare

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 03, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bijapur

Students relive the tsunami nightmare

By Our Staff Correspondent

BIJAPUR, JAN. 2. They were in the jaws of death and remembered their near and dear ones. They thanked god when the boat, which they missed, disappeared in the water.

Roaring tidal waves, which would have otherwise given a scintillating experience, rather frightened them.

Students and the staff of A.V. Samiti's Ayurvedic College, Bijapur, who were on a study tour, were trapped on the Vivekananda Memorial Rock for 12 hours when the tsunami hit the southern coastline on December 26.

But they escaped the disaster and returned home today to a rousing welcome by students and the teaching staff and recalled what was their worst nightmare.

Trauma

Though the students did not suffer any casualty, they are yet to recover from the trauma they underwent.

Everything went as per the plans till the morning of that fateful day. After visiting a few places in Karnataka and Kerala where medicinal plants are grown, the 50-member team comprising 17 girls reached Kanyakumari on the evening of December 25.

Relating the sequence of events, Janmejaya Jahapur, a third year student, said that on December 26, they enjoyed the sunrise.

Around 9.15 a.m., all but three left by a boat to the Vivekananda Memorial Rock, which is 2 km off the shore. They were to return within an hour but some of the students sat for meditation, which saved them from falling prey to the killer waves.

It delayed their return to the deck by at least 20 minutes, as a result of which they missed the first boat. It was a blessing in disguise, according to Ajit Gatate and Seema Pattar, as the boat capsized.

The students said they saw a gigantic wave as high as 45 ft. This frightened them as well as some tourists, who started screaming.

Their hope of survival was rekindled when they learnt that the judge of the Supreme Court, G.P. Mathur, and his family members were also stranded on the rock. This meant that help would arrive sooner or later.

Boar service resumes

At around 5.30 p.m., the boat service resumed but few had the courage to use it.

The restive tourists insisted that a helicopter take them to the shore.

A few minutes before sunset, an army helicopter arrived but flew back after dropping some food, water and medicine as it could not land on the hillock.

They wanted to return to the shore only in the morning but the authorities would not allow them to stay there.

They were forced to use the boat to reach the mainland.

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Students relive the tsunami nightmare