Holi is known for colour powder and celebrations. Such a colourful day is best captured in stills and thus Holi or any celebration for that matter goes synonymous with photographs and thus photographers too.
However, one photographer from Ambattur had a different Holi this time around, for he saved a life of a young boy when it mattered. His name is P Ravikumar, a freelance photographer and News Today caught up with him to know more.
“I was in Vepery and was roaming all day capturing images of the celebrations. At the spot where the incident happened, the organisers had set up an artificial pond and shower that would spray water according to the music being played or sung from another stage nearby. All was well till suddenly four boys who entered the water collapsed instantly,” said Ravikumar.
The boys had collapsed due to electric shock and immediately a few had rushed to ask the organisers to cut power supply. “For some reason and because music was being played very loud, the organisers refused to cut power. One person even went to grab the cable that came from the generator and managed to disconnect the circuit,” he said.
Men had rushed to the pool and with three kids coming to their senses the moment they were pulled out from water, the fourth had not opened his eyes. “His skin was pale and cold and because he was floating, I presumed he had took a lot of water in. I dropped on my knees and started giving him first aid. I performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him,” said Ravikumar who resides at Fifth Avenue, Banu Nagar at Pudur.
Before getting into the details, the lensman spoke about how he learned to perform CPR in the first place. “Two-and-a-half years ago, I attended an event organised by an NGO. It was about giving CPR properly. I was given a badge by them. It reads ‘I am CPR trained’, meaning, I know what to do in situations like these,” said Ravikumar.
Getting back on track, he said, “I was performing the necessary actions, pumping his chest and giving him resuscitation. In five minutes, I got exhausted. But, I was encouraged by others who were helping out to keep going. A few more pumps and breathing into him, the young lad opened his eyes. We had called for an ambulance but nothing arrived, so people who knew the boy took him to a nearby hospital once he became quite stable.”
“Later in the day, I got a call back from the boy’s father and was thanked for saving the life of his son,” he said.
Asked if he has performed CPR already, the photographer said he has indeed. “A few months ago, my sister and I performed CPR to our ailing mother. Unfortunately, she passed away. But seeing this kid, something told me he could be saved. I just got to work, for time cannot be wasted in those crucial moments,” said Ravikumar.
The neighbourhood lensman also reiterated that it was not a one man show. “You must remember that many came together. As mentioned earlier, two ran to cut power supply. Few others helped the other boys and while I was getting tired performing first aid, I kept going because of my friends who urged me to continue. In my view, it was a team effort and it will not be right for me to take all the glory,” said the humble man.
He can be contacted at 9500089969.