A daring rescue mission of 2008 with a happy ending

R. Babu’s ordeal in Malampuzha a reminder of an equally traumatic story of Maju Manuel who survived a fall off the cliffs near Wagamon

One is fascinated by the perseverance of Indian Army personnel, inspired by the prayers and good wishes from people across the globe and bolstered by the never-say-die spirit of 23-year-old R. Babu, who was rescued after he slipped and fell about 400 feet three days ago into a cleft on the steep rocky Malampuzha hills.

Babu’s ordeal and the happy ending of the story bring to mind a less publicised, but equally traumatic and triumphant story of how Maju Manuel (Puthenkandam), 46, survived a fall off the cliffs of Kolahalamedu, near the popular tourist haunt of Wagamon, on June 20, 2008.

Hailing from Kadanad panchayat near Palai, Manuel is a frequent visitor to the hills of Wagamon, which attracts thousands of tourists every year. The hills and the nip in the air are a reminder for him of his brief stint with journalism in Nagaland. He recalled his Wagamon trip on that unusually wet afternoon with intermittent drizzle keeping the views around the hills under a haze and temperature down. He drove in with three of his friends into what is arguably the most-sought-after viewpoint on Wagamon-Ealappara Road, the ‘suicide point’.