PROBASHI- A Cultural News Magazine Volume 2 Issue 2 | Page 19

Probashi-Cover Theme
Thank you Mamta: While pilgrims
were moving down to escape the
fury of the floods from the upper
reaches of Uttarkashi and Gangotri,
one girl was making her way up on
her own to be part of rescue effort.
She had no official badge, no
uniform, no map, no government
order or logistical support. Her
reason was simple “if we do not
help our fellow human beings then
who will”.

Uttarakhand Flood Rescue

airlifted and she survived. Mamta
then joined the Nehru Institute of
Mountaineering team and carried
on search and rescue operations.

Mamta is from a very poor family
and belongs to the Bankholi village,
Uttarkashi. Her own house was
damaged in the 2012 floods.
Blessed is the village, state and the
nation which has such a brave girl
amongst its midst. She reminds of
the saying “We must build dykes of
On 15 June when the flash floods
courage to hold back the flood of
came, Mamta Rawat aged 25 years ,
fear”.
a trained trekker, was in charge of a
group of 30 school children from Raw Courage: In first week of July
various parts of the country who 2013 Col Ajay Kothiyal, Principal of
had come to Dyara Top in the
Nehru
Institute
of
Uttarkashi for an adventure outing. Mountaineering(NIM), Uttarkashi
With floods ravaging, she along (an army institution), got an urgent
with other two persons took these phone call from the Additional
kids to safety across landsides and a Chief
Secretary,
Govt
of
shaking bridge over river Assi Uttarakhand, requisitioning the
Ganga, personally taking each child services of the NIM team to open
Mamta Rawat: The heroine of Bankoli
on foot across the shaking bridge up a new land route to the
which the raging water threatened Kedarnath Shrine. The regular
evacuate 78 ITBP rescue team
to wash away.
route to Kedarnath via Rambara
had been completely washed away personnel who were stranded at the
Once back in Uttarkashi town, the
by the flood. The urgency was to shrine for last 3 days, and the weather
children were lodged at Hotel
did not permit helicopter sorties.
Radhika Palace and she took care of
the terrified children (14-16 yr olds)
giving them courage and support.
They were in her charge. Once the
routes from Uttarkashi opened up
Mamta accompanied the children
for a part of the route and then
proceed back to complete the
unfinished work. This time she was
on her own to help the stranded
pilgrims who were on foot
traversing down to Uttarkashi from
Gangotri, the roads having been
washed away. She told us “even if I
could help some one to carry their
bag, I would have considered myself
of some help”. But she did
something more, she helped save
Col Ajay Kothiyal(right) making a phone call from the Kedarnath shrine to the
lives. She carried on her back an
Uttarakhand Disaster Control room on a Satellite Phone informing that the NIM team
has been able to trace an alternate land route to the shrine. Besides Col Kothiyal is
unconscious lady for three kms
his deputy Manoj Semwal. This is one of the first pictures from the Kedarnath Shrine
upto the helipad. The lady was
after the floods.

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