A Brother - A Hero

Suddenly there was a big splash!

I turned only to feel my eyes widen and my mouth dropped open. ‘Aiyo!’ was all I could exclaim. He has jumped into the sea!

He had no name (at least to me). I regret now for never asking. To me, he was just ‘Bhaiya’ (brother). He was our boatman taking us to visit Kalipetti island from Agatti, two of the islands of Lakshadweep on his yellow and blue glass-floored motorboat called ‘Blue Whale’.

The distance between Agatti and Kalipetti is at a stone’s throw distance. A crystal-clear azure blue waterway separated both the stretch of land with the resplendent marine life to marvel at.

All were good when we embarked on the journey to discover the uninhabited island. The boat putted happily not too far from the shore where lines of coconut trees followed us. Visiting the island was an additional ‘to-see’ to my otherwise planned itinerary. It was obviously not there but somehow, we managed to squeeze in this extra little virgin island on our last day on Lakshadweep.

Only when we started to return to Agatti, a totally new adventure began.

Bhaiya was pulling the rope that usually started the motor. It just wouldn’t! Groaning under the repeated pull of it suddenly gave away coming loose in his hand! Aghast we looked at each other. His apologetic face said it all. We were doomed (at least for some time)! Now what?

The tide kept pulling and pushing us in the wrong direction. Bhaiya brought out a long bamboo stick that was in the boat and started pushing it against the seabed. Inch by inch we made progress. But it was not enough.

Time was ticking and so was our hearts. With no cellphone connectivity, we were on our own. We had hardly a couple of hours to catch our flight.

And then there was the splash!

His head bobbed up and down in the front, pulling his beloved boat while we still perched on her. Sometimes disappearing completely from the view only to resurface in the rear to push her.

Frantically I looked around inside the boat for anything that would help us. Spotting a small piece of wood that was hardly the size of a wooden ruler we usually used to carry in our school days, I bent over one side of the boat trying to use it like a row. (looking back now, it must have been an amusing sight).

At one point I even contemplated jumping into the waters. Although I know how to swim but there is a hell lot of a difference between swimming in a 6 feet indoor swimming pool and out in the open sea with currents. That needs a different level of guts. (I definitely lacked that)

It was a crazy time which felt like an eternity. I don’t know how he did it but he did it. Despite being the season of Ramadan and with an empty stomach, he pushed and pulled us to safety with enough time for us to board our flight back. Isn’t that what all ‘bhaiyas’ do for their sister?

Bhaiya became my forever hero. Maybe he will forget me, but I will not.