Being an expert swimmer, Chandrasekhar did not doubt his abilities in rescuing the cattle. However, he underestimated the power of the current and the level of his exhaustion.
Published Sep 07, 2024 | 10:04 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 07, 2024 | 2:41 PM
Chandrasekhar died in the Vijayawada floods. (Supplied)
The unprecedented floods in Vijayawada caused by the torrential rains killed Palisetty Chandrasekhar, who entered the flood waters in an attempt to save his brothers, workers at the dairy farm, and the cattle.
After saving his brother and two workers from imminent death, little did the 35-year-old realise that his second attempt to save the cattle of his dairy farm would be his last.
Chandu, as he was fondly called by his family and friends was married about a year and a half back to Bharavi, who is now seven months pregnant with their child.
While Chandu died on the intervening night of 31 August, and 1 September, his brothers found his body only recently after searching for days.
On the fateful night of Saturday, when parts of Vijayawada were being buffeted by waves of Budameru flood, Chandrasekhar decided to go and help his brothers Shyam Sundar and Koteswara Rao who were at the dairy farm on Thotavari Street near Singhnagar flyover, guarding the cattle and the machinery along with two workers Sumitra Rai and Ashok Rai.
He set out in the early hours of Sunday, 1 September, and reached the farm. He found Koteswara Ra on the top of the dairy farm building safe while another brother Shyam Sundar climbed to the top of a tin-roof shed with the two workers. The shed was barely resisting the invading flood.
They left the cattle to their fate and were trying to save their lives, but chances of survival appeared remote.
However, Chandrasekhar reached them, swimming across the powerful currents, and helped the two workers and his brother to the safety of the building top on which Koteswara Rao was anxiously waiting for them.
Then he realised that the cattle were stuck in the farm, tethered. Emboldened by success in his first attempt to save his brother and two workers, he made the second attempt to reach the cattle swimming across the nasty waters whose force had increased considerably by then.
Being an expert swimmer himself, Chandrasekhar did not doubt his abilities in rescuing the cattle. However, he underestimated the power of the current and the level of his exhaustion. He managed to free the cattle from their shed but could not return to safety.
The flood having failed to take Chandrasekhar down in his first attempt, was, however, successful when he came for the second time. The furious waters closed in on him as he was trying to reach the building of the dairy farm, the flood overpowered him. It pulled him down into its depths and took him away.
Chandrasekhar was an IT employee in Hyderabad, while his two brothers ran the dairy farm. He left his job and joined a private bank near Gollapudi in Vijayawada so that he could be around if they needed his help at the dairy farm.
More than that he is a family man and wanted to be with his brothers. He used to visit the dairy farm every now and then to help his brothers in their work. He, like his brothers, was well-versed in the intricacies of rearing cattle.
Chandrasekhar may have saved his brothers and two others, but he did not live to see his child. The child would have to live without ever knowing what its father looked like in the flesh and what his affection would be like.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)
