Saving lives amid chaos: An air force veteran looks back at the 2001 Bhuj earthquake

By Saloni Singh

Twenty-four years have passed since the 2001 Bhuj earthquake but Mr. Gajraj Singh, who was posted as a Junior Warrant Officer in the Radar Controlling Department of the Indian Air Force there, vividly remembers that fateful day and the horrifying spectacle he witnessed.

He shudders when he remembers what he saw that day. “When I reached the site, I saw a hand emerging from beneath a door that was covered in rubble. I and my colleagues hurriedly started removing the rubble and lifted the heavy door carefully. When we removed that door, we saw a 15-year-old boy who could hardly breathe.”

He continues, “He was trembling, fear stricken and clearly in shock. We put him on a stretcher and took him to a waiting ambulance so that he could get immediate medical assistance.”

This was not the only life he saved that day. There were several other quake victims he and his colleagues rescued.

Mr. Singh was asleep in his room when the earthquake struck. He remembers furious knocking on his door. Before he could respond, his colleagues barged into his room and swiftly ushered him out. He was stunned by what he saw. “Buildings had been reduced to rubble, grieving people were searching for their loved ones, there was chaos everywhere. The destruction shocked and overwhelmed me.”

Even as he systematically went about saving lives, his wife and two children who were in Delhi waited anxiously for news about him. His son, Mr. Vivek Singh, says, “We were so worried that we couldn’t think of anything else. Our efforts to contact him failed, and we were in great fear of what could have possibly happened.”

Adds Mr. Gajraj Singh’s wife, Mrs. Rajvati Singh, “We were constantly praying to God for his well-being. I couldn’t stop my tears as we watched the news.”

It was only after two harrowing days that Mr Singh connected with his family.  “I’m alright,” he told them.

When asked what his initial thought was when he saw the destruction, he replied, “I was thankful to God, that I survived and had a chance to meet my family again.”

The Bhuj earthquake scarred him badly. The emotional trauma was so intense that it took him almost six months of treatment and medications to recover. The thought he always had after that incident was the fear of losing his loved ones.

The tragedy also reminded him of the time he lost his mother. He always wanted his mother to see how successful her son was and how well he was serving the country. But this wish could not be fulfilled as his mother died a year after his first posting as a Leading Aircraftsman in the Indian Air Force.

Before his retirement, Mr Singh visited Bhuj once again. The visit brought back memories of those horrific days. The good thing was that the memories did not affect him emotionally as much as he had thought. In fact, the visit made him emotionally stronger.

Today, his family members look up to him with utmost admiration. His granddaughter, Ms. Tushita Singh, says, “My grandfather has faced various challenges and hardships throughout his life. But he has always stood up firm. This aspect of him always inspires me.”

The Bhuj earthquake changed Mr Singh’s perspective of life. His biggest takeaway is, “Life is shorter than one thinks; live it like every moment is yours.”

(The writer is a first-year student of media at KCC Institutes in Greater Noida.)

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