Life begins in a closed chamber-like place called womb, but the one being nurtured and prepared to be brought into this world is not conscious of its existence or rather not aware of a world which is full of light. What about those who are trapped in a similar condition, but are fully aware of the world outside? Would it not be suffocating to live in a dark place with little hope to see the bright life they were used to just a few days ago? Uttarkashi tunnel that collapsed and trapped 41 workers is such a story, a reminder that how fortunate and privileged we are for all that the mother nature has given us. And yet, rather than being grateful, we take these gifts for granted as if they don’t matter!
The Indian government took every measure to rescue 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarkashi and finally the operation that lasted over 400 hours was successful. The rescue operation was performed by seven government agencies including PM’s office, National Disaster Management Authority and ONGC, besides the help also came from the armed forces, miners and others to make this mission a success. The whole nation stayed united with absolute focus on this one single event with a hope to save some human lives. And finally, the ordeal of the trapped men ended after 17 long days.
This success story revolves around one core fundamental of human existence on earth – that is the life of every individual matters. This entire event was a display of great qualities such as resilience, empathy, cooperation, and solidarity that make us who we are – a human.
The ambitious Char Dham Pariyojana project to connect four pilgrimage centres (Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangothri, Yamunotri) required the building of this Silkyara-Barkot tunnel, which collapsed due to a landslide caused by a minor earthquake. The rescue operation had to be undertaken as soon as possible despite various risks amid precarious debris and rubble. The government weighed many options to deal with this unprecedented circumstance and in the process faced many challenges. First, the option to use the US-made Auger machine was thought of as the quickest way to reach the trapped men, but unfortunately, the machine broke. However, with the help of miners, the operation was successful and all the 41 lives were saved. They were examined physically and found fit.
This is a story of human values that set humankind apart from other species on earth. Out of 8 billion people, only 41 were caught up in this life and death scenario where one mistake or little carelessness could have cost them their lives. But the whole nation and the people from all over the world had only one common thought about this whole incident – how to save these fellow beings. Perhaps, deep down inside our hearts we all nurture one of the most valued human traits, compassion, and yet we pretend to be otherwise.
It is the dichotomy of human society, where on one hand we are willing to go any length to protect others, and on the other we do not mind waging wars out of greed and revenge without a second thought about dire consequences. It is said that only 8% of the time of recorded history, humans have lived peacefully without any war. Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine have reminded us of our Satanic nature once again. The choice is ours!
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