INCREDIBLE SURVIVAL STORY OF R MAHENDRAN This man experienced boat wreck to Jarawa Hospitality

Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair, June 2: It’s hard enough to survive being stranded after a boat capsizes all alone at sea.
But here’s story of a fisherman who survived in choppy waters swimming for almost a day, searching for water and food in the dense forests, seeking help from the primitive tribes to ultimately return to civilisation after nearly five days.
An incredible survival story parallel to the famous Discovery Channel’s ‘Bear Grills: Man Vs Wild’ series.
R Mahendran left the coast from Machi Jetty, Guptapara towards Collinpur for fishing with a friend (a professional fisherman) on the 20th of last month at about 4 pm. While reaching towards Collinpur, turbulent weather conditions forced them to anchor the boat in the sea. But minutes after anchorage, their boat capsized after a huge wave overwhelmed them.
Both of them started swimming towards the shore and Mahendran managed to get hold of an Ice Box to keep himself afloat. His friend caught hold of a safety buoy but was struggling to swim due to his clothes (tight jeans). He disappeared suddenly during high waves despite frantic calls from Mahendran to grab the Ice Box.
Mahendran floated for almost four hours to reach the sea shore of Collinpur – far away from civilisation. Waking up the next day on May 21, he started a frenzied search for food and water in the dense forests, but failed.
He ultimately had to quench his thirst from rainwater accumulated in tree leaves of the jungle. He desperately tried to push his way out from the dense forests but failed and returned to the same location and slept overnight. He remembers that he cried that night like a baby for hours and hours.
Deeply dejected, Mahendran recollected courage the next day and started finding his way out from the forest. About walking for kilometres, he reached a water stream (Nallah) and started walking along the nallah and reached a sea shore where he saw a Jarawa tribe who asked him whether he was the person who survived the sea ordeal.
“I was so afraid seeing the Jarawa man that I raised my hands out of fear but he behaved politely and spoke to me in Hindi,” Mahendran said.
The Jarawa boy then took Mahendran to their place and provided him with clothes and food. He camped with the Jarawa tribes numbering around 10-15 including women and children for about 3-4 days in the forests. The generous members of the primitive tribe provided him rice, oil turmeric, salt etc to cook at their hutment.
Mahendran was later dropped at Kalikona beach by the Jarawa tribes. “I thanked them from bottom of my heart and told them that I am alive only for them. I also told them that I will remember this, my entire life. They bid me good bye and told me to inform police that they have saved my life, if police questions,” Mahendran recalled.