Mudimaduguala Shankar, 48, was a native of Kashipet village in Manchiryal district. At about 1.30 a.m. on August 15, 2020, he had been steering a lorry from Husnabad to Siddipet. At Basvapur bridge, all of a sudden, the flood level increased and Shankar lost control on the lorry. Somehow, he came out of the lorry and hanged to a tree for several hours. In the morning, some villager observed him and alerted the district administration. On receipt of information, even Finance Minister T. Harish Rao directed the authorities to take all steps to save him.
Rescue teams from Hyderabad and Warangal rushed there. In addition, a helicopter was pressed into service to save him. Meanwhile, the villagers made all efforts and tried to save him by throwing some rope. He held it for some time, but was washed away in the gushing flood water.
The incident moved the entire village, with a population of about 3,000. They felt bad about a man being washed away despite their efforts to save him. They decided to help the family of Shankar, who died in their village because of floods, to the extent possible.
Two youths — Md. Mujahid Pasha and T. Sudheer — from the village took the initiative and met the villagers and conveyed their decision. The entire village responded with a human face and contributed their mite. While some contributed as small as ₹200, some donated ₹3,000 and ₹5,000. The total amount donated was ₹1,10,000 and it was handed over to the family members of Shankar who reached Husnbad to collect the body after postmortem.
“We saw the struggle by Shankar to survive. We were unable to save him despite efforts by us and the administration. We felt guilty over what happened. We decided to extend assistance to the family and villagers cooperated,” Mr. Mujahid Pasha told The Hindu.
