Kedarnath Survivor Speaks

The Power of Intuitive Thinking

Kedarnath Survivor Speaks

On the 16th of July, when river-water started collecting in the valley due to incessant rain, Sandeep Tiwari, who runs a shop next to the Kedarnath shrine decided to seek shelter there and left the shop, along with his hard earned money. At 7:00am on the morning of 17th of July, he and his brothers decided to go back to their shop. As they were preparing for another usual day of work, Sandeep heard a noise and went to the backyard, from where one had a pellucid view of the Chorabari Glacier. What he witnessed there was the epoch which marked the beginning of the Himalayan Tsunami. He saw a cloud bursting and precipitating into the Mandakini River. Boulders, snow and debris came running down the stream. Within a blink, Sandeep made a decision to go back to the temple with his brothers. While the rest of the valley was washed away, they survived.

I am blessed

Some may call the survival of Tiwari family during the Kedarnath flash floods a miracle as it was truly surprising and unprecedented. But Sandeep has something different to say, "People are calling me lucky, I don't know about being lucky but I sure am blessed. If I recall those terrifying moments then I can say with certainty that the decision to go to the temple was more than mere guess work. I have been living here for decades, I know about the scientific findings regarding the strength of the Kedarnath shrine. I have seen this temple over the years facing the rigours of the weather." Did he have the time to weigh all his options in the wake of a life-threatening calamity? “Of course not. I don’t know how I came upon that life-saving decision. And I will never know.” The mystic nature of Sandeep’s answer has baffled many.

Om Namah Shivay