Denisha

A Small Boat. A Wild River. An Elephant Calf. And A Masterclass in Rivercraft This was not simply a rescue. A tiny elephant calf, swept kilometres down the swollen Teesta river,had to be brought aboard a narrow, low-freeboard fishing dinghy — a boat never designed to carry an animal of that size, let alone in a fast current. Yet five fishermen did it. They read the river, judged the current, controlled the boat and somehow kept it upright as the frightened calf was brought alongside and aboard. With the boat suddenly carrying an unpredictable, moving load, every shift of weight mattered. This is where their exceptional skill becomes apparent. They weren’t merely rowing. They were constantly correcting — managing trim, balance, angle and momentum while using the river’s own movement to their advantage. And then they had to get back. Three men entered the water and helped push the boat against the current after the reported four-kilometre pursuit. There was no specialised rescue craft. No sophisticated equipment. Just small boats, wooden oars and decades of accumulated knowledge of the Teesta. The calf was eventually handed to the Forest Department and reunited with its mother. The rescue deserves celebration. But so does the extraordinary boatmanship behind it. These fishermen deserve more than a headline and a photograph. They deserve formal recognition and a meaningful reward. @SuvenduWB @ForestDeptWB @ShivAroor