No Training, No Motorboat: Class 10 Dropout Rescues 2,000 In Assam Floods

When 25-year-old Shravan Kumar walked to the banks of the Dikhow River in Bihubor at 3 am on July 19, he had no idea he was about to lead one of the most remarkable rescue efforts of Assam's flood season - one that would ultimately save nearly 2,000 lives across five villages.Shravan visits the riverbank every monsoon to collect floating logs swept downstream, a modest but crucial source of income and firewood for his family, who don't use LPG cylinders. That morning, however, the river behaved differently. Massive tree trunks crashed through the water with unusual force, and having grown up beside the Dikhow, Shravan immediately sensed danger. By sunrise, his fears were confirmed as floodwaters began submerging the region.His own home was not spared. Floodwater entered his house, forcing his mother and brother to scramble to move their belongings to higher ground.