– Satyakam Ray
Odisha is home to ancient temples and a haven of beautiful scenic places. But it has often made headlines for severe flooding and cyclonic storms. Odisha is close to the Bay of Bengal. Many large rivers flow through its various districts. Such natural calamities are unavoidable.
Odisha’s coastal plain is the hexadeltic region, or the gift of six rivers. The Baitarani River is one of Odisha’s six major rivers. It forms the Middle Coastal Plain, bounded by the Mahanadi and Brahmani rivers.
The Baitarani River originates in the Gonasika area. It flows mainly through the Keonjhar district. The river also affects the nearby Jajpur and Bhadrak districts. Its floods also affect these districts. The river enters a plain at Anandpur and creates a zone at Akhuapada. It then joins the Brahmani River near Chandabali and drains into the Bay of Bengal.
The fourth chapter of the Anandpur Chronicles centers on the Baitarani River’s floods near the town. Over tea, Maa reminisced about a severe flood she had seen in 1975-76.
Heavy downpours lasted nearly 3-4 days. The river’s upper reaches were flooded near Gonasika. The flood’s effects appeared almost instantly in the Anandpur basin region. Within no time, floodwater entered Anandpur town at night.
Our grandfather’s place is situated on a slightly higher plateau. There is a small alley on the backside of the house, and the chain of small-time laborer huts lies there. During every flood, these huts collapse under the weight of the water. That year was no exception. The flood victims took shelter on the house veranda in the morning.
Floodwater entered the areas surrounding the Uterashwar temple and the Bridge chhaka. The Brajabandhu Vidya Pitha (the High School) had not yet been established, yet the building stood. The old D.I. of the school office was then operating from that building. The flood sob story revolves around this building.
The story’s main protagonists are three people. One is Nrushinga, an office worker. Another is the driver of the office Jeep, who belonged to Cuttack. Another was there at the office premises during the flood. These three people stayed in that building as the water rose during the daytime. All other office workers left the premises. Adjoining people also left their homes to take shelter.
Floodwater surrounded the office. It was 4 pm, and a crowd gathered outside the office, standing at a safe distance and watching bemusedly. For some reason, the trio wanted to stay at the office premises. They took shelter on the office terrace. Nobody could guess for what reason!
Being a teenager then, Maa went near the crowd out of curiosity. The public was getting bigger, and so was the floodwater. Now, the floodwater rose to waist level. The river flow was very sharp. In no way could the trio escape the building. The crowd could see the three figures standing on the terrace. They were helplessly waving to the people. They pleaded to save them at any cost.
Local authorities arranged speed boats and lunches to help those in immediate danger. The water current was so strong that even the sturdiest lifeboats could not handle it. They sank, leaving the boatmen to swim across the flooding river for survival. Nevertheless, the boatmen escaped the watery grave.
The police and local authorities tried to assuage the panic-stricken trio stranded on the terrace. Everyone begged them to stay where they were, not to jump into the rising water at any cost. Prayers and excerpts from the Bhagavad Gita were broadcast using loudspeakers to boost their ever-dwindling morale.
In the meantime, the crowd could see only two or three hands waving furiously, begging for help. Their cries were inaudible amid the water’s roar, silencing every other sound. And, making matters worse, the light was fading. By that time, Maa had returned home, and night had arrived.
It was 11 pm. The water level was the same as the terrace’s. The trio couldn’t cope with the anxiety. They couldn’t handle the ‘what-if’ scenarios. They jumped from the balcony to swim across the river. The police and a few dispersed crowds were still there. They were horrified by this audacity and frightened at the thought of what would happen to the three people. It happened quickly, and the crowd’s apprehensions came true.
Only one swam the flooding river, as he was a better swimmer. It was the Jeep driver. The other two local people sank and were washed away in the roaring current. Two human lives were lost in the process. They didn’t heed the warnings and repeated requests from the local authorities.
The next day, the two corpses were spotted at a distant place from the building. The water level had also dropped by then. The water level never crossed the terrace. Had they waited a bit longer, they could have been saved easily. It was a matter of little patience and maturity. Maa had seen a corpse lying on the ground the next day, with its head down and a swollen stomach.
The jeep driver who escaped this fateful day later recalled the incident. According to him, the three could not wait till last as they had lost hope. Even though the roaring water mortified the two who died, they found some strength. They managed to jump into the water to swim. It was a matter of grit and a fierce urge to survive. But the boldness hardly matched the swimming skill set in the bulging water.
During her stay in Anandpur, Maa witnessed the most significant flood in her lifetime. Although shocking, this incident teaches us one lesson: no matter the adversities, one should be patient until the end.
The Witty Stride 