On May 3 2019, Odisha was engulfed in the darkness of the cyclonic hood of Fani. The extremely severe cyclonic storm took over the whole state tearing it downs to bits and pieces. The silence of the storm continued echoing days after the catastrophe. My family is settled in Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha. Lush green trees, decorated with street art, decked up with temples, well planned, clean and bustling with people is how I describe this smart city.
It all began on the unfateful Friday morning. The following day all that was left of the city was a wrecked landscape. Trees that once stood tall were bent down by the brutal force of the wind, walls full of art, that once were a joy to watch, were washed off their colours by the unforgiving rain. Broken electric lines, blocked roads, uprooted mobile towers, clogged drains, paralysed life in the city.
This disruption in communication was something that took a toll on all those people living far away from their home, including me. Working at Hyderabad then, mobile and internet connectivity were the only medium for me to stay in touch with my family. I was distressed by the whole situation as I could not fathom not being in contact with my family post the havoc. I was constantly trying to be in touch but the disruption caused by the cyclone led to a blackout for quite some time.
I heaved a ‘BIG’ sigh of relief finally when I was able to contact my family and got to know about their well-being. This was possible because of Vodafone Idea Limited an Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group partnership. The second largest telecom service provider globally, leading in India, was one of the few providers that quickly resumed services and provided uninterrupted network and internet connectivity in the cyclone hit state. More than 1500 sites were already revived in a matter of just four days providing mobile network to all Vodafone Idea customers along with 4.5 lakh users of other operators through the VIL network on Intra Circle roaming. ABG has won hearts for connecting people like me with their families. ABG has truly become and shall forever be ‘BIG’ in my life.
My engineering days were filled with fun, friends and lessons for life. One such incident actually made me realise about something that I never knew about myself, a very strong presence of mind. It happened during the 3
rd year of my engineering course. One of my close relatives experienced a sudden attack of brain seizure at midnight. My uncle who was really dear to me, was a perfectly young healthy individual with no history of any such occurrence or disease. The seizure stroke left everyone in the family in shock as none of us were able to comprehend what actually was happening at that point. We found ourselves helpless.
What followed after that was one of the worst nightmares of my life. Uncle stopped breathing, started turning pale, almost instantly. Most of the members were busy calling up for help, others stupefied by the whole situation. Out of concern I came forward and checked for a heartbeat. To my horror, I found none. All those moments spent with that person flashed by, I had tears welling up in my eyes.
But suddenly in that moment, something struck me. I had seen medical personnel perform CPR in my school as part of first aid awareness programs. I always had a keen interest in learning first aid techniques and believed them to be essential survival skills. I, therefore paid close attention to such procedures. Although I was not trained to perform a CPR, I decided to give it a shot. I reminded myself of all the precautions that I had to take and composed myself. The whole family was taken by surprise when I started performing the CPR, within a couple of minutes my uncle let out a huge cough followed by revival of consciousness. There were tears of joy rolling down my eyes. Everyone in the family rushed at me applauding and thanking. My uncle was later taken up to the hospital for further treatment where the doctors confirmed that timely CPR saved his life.
I never believed that I had what it took, to act in a life or death situation of a loved one. I realised my strength and since that day there has been no turning back. No matter how distressing a situation is and how impossible a task might feel like, I have the confidence that my presence of my mind will help me overcome those hurdles and soar through with flying colors.