Why the Malampuzha Cheradu incident reminds of a Hollywood movie

Talk about art imitating life or vice versa. The Malampuzha Cheradu incident is shockingly reminiscent of Danny Boyle's film, '127 Hours' starring James Franco. It was inspired by the real-life story of mountaineer Aaron Ralston, who was trapped between rocks for five days and finally escaped by amputating his arm. Released in 2010, the film received six Academy Nominations, including Best Actor and Best Picture. The plot of the movie '127 Hours' is about a man who gets stuck in a rock for 127 hours and then amputates his arm and comes back to life.

Aaron Ralston is a man who loved adventure. One such adventurous streak takes him is on a hiking trip in Utah when he gets trapped in a canyon. Ralston reaches a large cliff and tries to descend through it, only to get his hand stuck between the rocks. There was no one around, and no one could hear his cries. He hadn't informed his family about this adventure too. He gets depressed and hallucinates about escape and his family and past. In an hour and a half, the film takes us through his survival saga, keeping us on the edge of our seats, wondering if he will come out of the calamity.

For the audience, '127 Hours' was an exhilarating experience and paid true obeisance to the survival thriller genre. It showed how one can survive unexpected tragedies in life. This was significant as the incident is borrowed from a true story. It was Hollywood actor James Franco who played the part of Aaron Ralston. Franco was able to convincingly portray the trauma, loneliness, and helplessness of someone who was parched and crying for help.

It is a similar situation in Kerala, that had a young man fall into the Malampuzha Kurumbachi hill and find himself trapped in a ravine. Babu was trapped in the gorge for 43 hours without food or water. In fact, they couldn’t even deliver food and water to Babu initially. Babu and three friends climbed the mountain on Monday afternoon. Babu, who was tired, slipped and fell. Though his friends tried to throw vines and sticks of the tree at Babu, he couldn’t climb to the top.

His friends went down the hill and immediately informed the locals and the police. The fire brigade and Malampuzha police reached Babu at around 12 on Monday night, but due to lack of light, the rescue operation started only in the morning and the team camped there. The torch was lit to ward off wildlife invasion. Babu's leg was broken in the fall.

Interestingly the incident came to the notice of the outside world after Babu himself took a photo of the place where he was trapped and sent it to his friends and police using his mobile phone. Wildlife intrusion is also rampant in the area. Kurumbachi Hill is located at a distance of about 6 km from Cheradu. The forest department had already warned that climbing the steep hill would be dangerous. Even earlier, Babu had injured himself while climbing the mountain.

The Army team that reached the location on Tuesday night reached the top of the hill. With proper safety measures, they managed to deliver water and food to Babu. The army officers started the mission to save Babu after they reached the top of the hill. Below, a medical team including a doctor is waiting for Babu. They will provide follow-up care after providing first aid. Babu will be shifted to the district hospital as soon as he is brought down. Special arrangements have been made at the hospital.