'Swimming, survival, seva': Tales of families living in Delhi's Yamuna Bazaar

New Delhi, Sep 13 (PTI) Along the Yamuna Bazaar area here, children are taught to swim almost as soon as they start walking. For families living on the riverbank, swimming is not a sport but a survival skill passed down generations for protection against the river's dangers.

"At first, we get a little rash. Not all of us are strong," nine-year-old Sameer says laughing, as his friend teases him for being weak. "But it is fun to swim," he says.

Families here train their children from an early age to keep a watch in summer, when the water levels in the Yamuna are low, and respond fast during floods.

The youngest are asked to alert the elders, while the older ones learn to pull back people who stray too close to the deeper parts of the river.

"Even this year, when the water rose, it was the children who were the first to spot people in trouble. Some even helped pull them out," Ghanshyam, 60, a long-time resident of the Yamuna Bazaar area, told PTI.

"Our fathers taught us how to swim and we are teaching children now. This is not a commercial activity for us, this is for survival," he said.

That survival instinct has defined life along the Yamuna Bazaar for generations.

"My father used to tell me that if you cannot swim, the river will swallow you. So I taught all my children how to swim. It is like learning to walk for us. The water level here can change suddenly, you cannot afford to be unprepared," said Hathiram, another resident.

During the 2023 floods, Surendar, who once worked as a government lifeguard and now guards a hotel pool, stayed back in the area with his neighbours for a week after their families were moved to shelters.

"We pulled people out every day. You cannot turn your back when someone is drowning," he recalls.

His elder son, an engineering student, is an accomplished swimmer, while the younger one is still learning.

Women in the community, though often not in the water themselves, live with constant worry. "We get a little scared when we see the children trying to swim in the river. But like everything else, you get used to it," said Ruksana, watching from the steps of the ghat.

Alongside the families, the Rescue Boat Club near Civil Lines has been central to organised rescue work.

"Someone usually spots a person drowning and calls police. Police then inform our organisation and that is when we move in," said Shabbir, a diver who has worked with the club for years.

"But before we arrive, locals often jump in to pull people out. By the time we reach, many lives have already been saved," he added.

The club, staffed with divers and boatmen, claims to have rescued more than 2,000 people this year during the floods. "It is mostly children who tend to drown," Shabbir said.

"Even during summer vacations, children playing by the water get too close to it and slip in. We have saved people of every age, from infants to senior citizens," he added.

The Yamuna's ghats are often crowded with families performing rituals and last rites. Many mourners wander too close to the water, unaware of the currents. "This year too, we pulled back journalists, people who came for visarjan and visitors who had gone too far," Surendar said.

For the community living along the Yamuna Bazaar area, swimming is more than recreation. It is a shield against tragedy, a community skill passed down generations.

"It is seva, an act of service," says Ghanshyam. "That is how we pay back the river that gives us life and also takes it." PTI SGV APL RC