Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The sky looked terribly cloudy at 6 a.m. on August 3. The air turned cold and damp. It started with drizzles and went down in buckets at 7am.
Radha Bai Shivhare, a resident of Gulaiya Mohalla District 22 in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur city, was lighting a match to light a log in the fireplace to prepare the day's meal.
He thought the rain would stop soon, but he hardly knew what was brewing outside.
She said the sudden screams from outside shook her. And then her 21-year-old son shot into the kitchen and said, โLet's go to the roof. There is hardly a second to waste. "
As Radha Bai leaned out the kitchen window, she saw gray water rushing toward her home. The road was under water.
He yelled to other children that a wave was approaching. By the time they reached the roof, the water had already flooded the ground floor of their house.
From the rooftop, they managed to reach a mosque near their home. The rope they were using to get there broke. His son lost his balance and fell. I was unconscious.
Radha Bai said that Muslim clerics had announced that everyone should take refuge in the mosque.
They asked the youth to help the afflicted, he told the Free Press by phone.
Then the youths jumped into action. Hundreds of people were rescued, Radha Bai said.
They provided food and milk to those affected by the floods.
Similar is the story of 45-year-old Ashfaque Mansoori, a resident of District 23, Qila Road, Sheopur.
The clock struck 9:30 pm. The rain fell like bucket bricks.
Asfhaque did not mind, as he was no stranger to heavy rains. Suddenly he saw a rush of water seeping through the floor of his room. He kept his nerves.
He went out with all the members of his family, and what he saw were hundreds of people crossing the flooded lanes.
They ran to the nearby Hanuman Temple.
Ashfaque said: "I suddenly realized that it was Al-Ali in the form of Bajrang Bali who came to our rescue."
The flood swept away all religious barriers, he said.
The water receded at 3:30 am. Still, they could hear the sounds of rain and the angry notes of the Seep River. At 6:30 am the water returned to their homes.
He gulped across the first floor.
Everywhere people fought for their lives. He could only hear the screams of women and children, Ashfaque said.
"Our Hindu brothers prepared milk for the children and food for us, he said.
Imam Hafiz Adil Qureshi:
Most of our Hindu brothers were in danger. We announce from the Kalandari Mosque that everyone should help those in need. We had to cut windows to rescue people. One floor of the mosque was under water, but Allah wished that we could do our duty. There were hoaxes that the Aawada dam broke. Then, people began to flee the town. We told them it was just a rumor. Young people emerged through the blinding rain and traveled the flooded lanes to rescue people.
Priest Devendra Sharma:
An avalanche of colored stained water nearly 10 feet high flowed downstream into residential areas. I've never seen such a flood. There were no Muslims or Hindus. Nobody likes such a flood. But it was great to see the love flow. The young men continued to pray until each one was saved.
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Published on: Monday, August 23, 2021, 12:14 a.m. M. IST
