Bijapur, July 5, 2013: “We owe our lives to them. There are no words to describe their selfless act of saving countless people like us,” said 65-year-old Jayant Katti about the Indian Army that rescued his family from the flood-hit Badrinath.

Five members of the Katti family returned home here after a 15-day nightmarish experience. They were in the 120-member team that went to Badrinath and were stranded there along with thousands of other pilgrims.

The family returned to the State along with Minister of State for Infrastructure Development and Information Santosh Lad on Tuesday.

The family expressed gratitude to the soldiers who worked tirelessly to rescue the pilgrims.

“It was only in films that we had seen soldiers rescuing people. But in Badrinath we witnessed how they work to help people in need. For us, they were angels sent for help.

The jawans did every bit to ensure that the pilgrims felt safe. They were offering their own tents and blankets,” Mr. Jayant said. He also refuted allegations that the soldiers were being partial in helping stranded people.

“The only thing that we witnessed among the soldiers was humanity. They were helping everyone irrespective of the State they belonged to,” he said. Kiran Katti (38), eldest son of Mr. Jayant, also spoke of the “most horrific” and “traumatic” days in Badrinath.

Mr. Kiran said almost all pilgrims stranded in Badrinath survived as the impact of the calamity was not as disastrous as it was in Kedarnath and Joshimath.

“From June 15 to June 19, we were completely disconnected from the outer world, with no electricity or telephone connectivity. Food was very expensive, and some people even paid Rs. 5,000 for an LPG cylinder,” Mr. Kiran said.

His mother Uma Katti (62) said nobody was sure of surviving till they were airlifted and sent to Dehradun from where they boarded a flight to Bangalore.

The family expressed gratitude to Mr. Lad.

“Even though he is a Minister, he worked like a volunteer by either carrying luggage on his shoulders or helping the aged reach the helicopters,” Mr. Jayant added.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 5, 2013.