'In my hurry to get the sea, bridge and myself in frame, I fell down'

Nikhar Sahu

It was the obsession to get the perfect selfie on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link that nearly killed Nikhar Sahu, who had fallen off the bridge on Jan 4, but it were the swimming sessions during childhood, kept secret from his parents, that saved him.

Uttar Pradesh native Nikhar Sahu, who stays with his brother in Panvel and works in a mall there, had fallen off around 11.50 am. While the police and fire brigade had swung into action immediately, around 2 pm, he had been found unconscious at the shore near Chaityabhoomi in Dadar. It took three days for him to regain consciousness and quell the police's doubt whether it had been a suicide attempt. While the Worli police recorded his statement, he narrated the sequence of events for mid-day.

Also Read: Mumbai: 31-year-old tourist falls off Bandra-Worli sea link, lives to tell the tale

Tiding through trouble
"I was very curious to see the sea link as I had seen it in many Bollywood movies. That day, I took a train from Panvel to Wadala, from where I took a train for Bandra. I then took an auto from outside the station and asked him to take me to Carter Road, thinking I'll be able to go to the sea link from there. But when I reached, I realised that wasn't possible. So, I asked the auto driver to take me directly to the sea link. He told me autos weren't allowed on it, and offered to take me to the taxi stand," said Nikhar.

"After getting a taxi, during the ride, I requested the driver to stop for a while, so that I could click photos to send to my family back home. The driver told me this wasn't allowed, but I convinced him to just slow down enough to let me get off, click a few pictures fast and get back in. And in my hurry to get the photos, trying to frame the sea, the bridge and myself, I slipped off the edge and into the water."

When he fell into the water, his phone was in his hand, but he held onto it tightly, stuffed it into his pocket and started swimming. "I was very scared, but I knew I had to keep swimming and find the shore. It was high tide, but I managed. I don't know how long it took me to get ashore; by the time I reached, I was exhausted and passed out. Doctors told me there wasn't much water in my body, but there was a lot of gas in my throat, because of which I couldn't speak for days," he said.

Secret swim sessions
Speaking to mid-day, Nikhar's father Jagdish, who runs a grocery shop in their hometown, said, "Our native place is Hathgaon in Fatehpur district. There's a pond there, Gabhia pond; Nikhar and his friends used to swim in it, without telling any of us. We found out about it after he came home crying one day because a leech was stuck on his body. He's had more than 20 years of practice, which is what saved him. I am really thankful to God..." "When I got the news, I immediately came to Mumbai… It's been nine months since he's been in Panvel. Whenever he would get time, he would visit Mumbai and clicks photos to send back home," said Nikhar's uncle Rakesh.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai, National and International news here

Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go