Uttarakhand tunnel rescue: 'Stuck together like brothers, took walks, did yoga'

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, November 29

Morning, evening walks, yoga and an abiding sense of caring kept 41 workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel for 17 days in high spirits.

Editorial: Lessons from Silkyara

Sharing the incredible story of survival which global experts today hailed as a “triumph of human labour over machinery”, rescued workers told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that not once in 17 days did they let anxiety get the better of them. “Not even for a day did we feel weak, fearful or anxious. We were 41 and lived like brothers. We shared food, ate together and took morning and evening walks through the 2.5 km tunnel length that we had. We also did yoga to stay fit as eating and waiting was all we had to do,” Shabab Ahmed, a worker from Bihar, told PM Modi in a video conversation right after the dramatic rescue last night.

The Prime Minister hailed the resilience of workers, saying the courage they showed would teach others what to do in a crisis.

“You are an inspiration for the country,” the PM told them, voicing anxiety about the operation despite taking daily updates from the field.

“There was a concern on how we would cope should anything go wrong. But I am glad we could overcome this tragedy. I cannot describe my happiness in words. Baba Kedarnath and Baba Badrinath’s blessings saved us,” the PM said in the first visuals of workers that emerged after they were rescued from the tunnel on wheeled stretchers on Tuesday night.

Tunnel foreman Gabbar Singh Negi, whom the PM especially lauded for his leadership and capacity to hold everyone together, said all labourers lived like a family.

“There was no problem at all. Everyone cooperated, followed instructions and stayed composed,” said Singh, who earned widespread appreciation for declaring earlier that he would be the last to leave the tunnel.

The PM said universities would need to undertake case studies on humble village man Gabbar Singh’s phenomenal leadership skills. Another worker, Akhilesh from UP’s Mirzapur, said constant conversations with the Central, state agencies and families kept everyone’s morale high.

“Main bhi UP wallah hun (I am also from UP),” the PM, who represents Varanasi in Lok Sabha, told Akhilesh.

Modi also spoke of the patience the family members of trapped workers showed, noting that families usually get angry in crisis situations.

Everyone cooperated

All labourers lived like a family. There was no problem at all. Everyone cooperated, followed instructions and stayed composed. — Gabbar Singh Negi, tunnel foreman