Wayanad's 'super hero' rescuer, who risked his life to save many, now 'missing'
Wayanad (Kerala) (PTI): Local lad Prajeesh drove his jeep up through the treacherous hill path twice and returned with many hapless people who were stranded atop after the deadly landslides hit Wayanad's high-range Mundakkai last week.
Just before he could move to safety came a phone call for a third 'mission,' but the ever popular localite is now missing, his damaged jeep seen at Chooralmala, leading to both fears of the worst and hopes for good news.
Risking his own life, the young man drove the vehicle up the hill for a third time but lost himself midway in the gushing flood water and mud and the barrage of huge boulders that rolled down the mountains.
That was the heartbreaking story of Prajeesh, who had plunged into a rescue mission and saved the precious lives of many people after the news about the devastating landslides broke out in the hamlets here in the wee hours of July 30.
With heavy heart and teary eyes, the people of Chooralmala village now call him their "super hero."
Hailing from landslide-hit Chooralmala, Prajeesh was already popular among the villagers for his ever-ready-to-help anyone attitude, local people said.
A villager said that after hearing about the first series of landslides that hit Mundakkai hamlet, Prajeesh drove up the hill twice at his own risk and came back with many individuals who were stranded there.
"After that, he was about to shift to a safer place with his family members. Suddenly, he got another phone call, following which he again drove up the hill...but this time, he did not return," he said.
Prajeesh's damaged jeep was later found down in Chooralmala town, the man said, adding no one has seen him since then.
Another villager said Prajeesh had been an inevitable presence in all the activities in the village and a favourite of everyone.
"Whether it is a marriage or funeral, he will be there from beginning to end. Like many other people, he personally helped me also a lot, especially during the marriage of my daughter," he said.
Prajeesh's friends said they warned him not to go to the hill when he began his journey for the third time. But he didn't heed them, saying there were more people trapped in Mundakai and that he wanted to save them.
"Prajeesh was the super hero of our land...But we have lost him now," an emotional villager said.
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Duleep Trophy: Pacers shine as India B beat India A by 76 runs
Bengaluru, Sep 8: KL Rahul's gumption, which helped him pile a patient fifty, found no resonance among his colleagues as India B pacers led by Yash Dayal pushed India A to a 76-run defeat on the fourth and final day of their Duleep Trophy match here on Sunday.
Chasing 275, India A were bundled out for 198 in their second innings as left-arm seamer Dayal (3/50), with able support from his colleagues Mukesh Kumar (2/50) and Navdeep Saini (2/41), led the India B attack.
Rahul top-scored for 'A' with a 51.
In the first session of the day, India B made 184 all out in their second essay to muster a handy overall lead of 274.
The India A chase began on a shaky note as Mayank Agarwal departed in the second over itself, wafting Dayal away from his body to Nitish Kumar Reddy, who made a wonderful diving catch at second slip.
That brought Riyan Parag to the middle and the right-hander followed the path set on Saturday by Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan.
Parag took on the bowlers and pacer Mukesh bore the brunt of his aggression, getting smoked for two sixes and the second maximum touched the roof of the Chinnaswamy Stadium over the mid-wicket region.
Parag added 48 runs for the second with a rather subdued Shubman Gill, who was dropped by Nitish Reddy at slips off Mukesh on 16, and 31 came off the former's bat in just 18 balls.
But the approach was tough to sustain considering the kind of assistance the bowlers were getting here, and soon his massive hoick off Dayal took an edge off Parag's bat en route to stumper Rishabh Pant.
Gill (21) departed soon, falling to Saini for the second time in the match and on this occasion, he edged the pacer to Pant.
Dhruv Jurel poked Dayal well outside off-stump to Yashasvi Jaiswal at gully, as India batters perished to a combination of bowlers' persistence on that channel and their own carelessness.
They took the lunch at a queasy 76 for four that soon transpired into 99 for six after the dismissal of Shivam Dube and Tanush Kotian, an hour into the lunch.
However, Rahul batted out 180 minutes 121 balls and milked 42 runs for the seventh wicket with Kuldeep Yadav to delay the inevitable.
The standout shot in an otherwise dour innings was a whistling on drive off Mukesh that fetched him a boundary.
But Mukesh had his revenge soon when Rahul feathered a cut off him to Pant, who completed five catches in this innings, soon after reaching his fifty with a single off Saini.
It effectively signalled the end of the road of for India A, though Akash Deep (43, 42b, 3x4, 4x6) gave a few moments of fun with a cavalier innings.
But beyond the entertainment value, it always was a case of when more than if.
Earlier, resuming from their overnight score of 150 for six India B could only 34 runs more to the total before getting bundled out.
Pacer Akash, whom Sarfaraz Khan carted around for five fours in a row the previous day, found his mojo to add the scalps of Washington Sundar and Saini to complete a five-wicket haul (5/56).
The spell will keep his name floating among the contenders when the selectors sit together soon to pick up squad for two-match Test series against Bangladesh.
