Latur earthquake rescuer reunited with baby he gave new life

PUNE: A chance conversation Lt Col Sumeet Baxi had with havildar Dayanand Jadhav of Mangrul village at a health centre in Pune in 2016 ended his search for Priya Jawalge for more than two decades.
Six days after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake rocked Latur on September 30 exactly 25 years ago, Baxi, then a second lieutenant engaged in rescue operations, had pulled out an 18-month-old unconscious but breathing baby from debris inside her house in Mangrul village.

That was Priya. Since then, they went their own ways, but both have been looking for the other. “I did not know her whereabouts. I had an old album of photographs. They were the only memories of Priya I had,” said Baxi, now posted in Pune.
“We tried our best to locate the brave soldier. Finally, destiny allowed us meet again. He is a father figure to me,” Priya, now 26, told TOI over the phone.
After meeting last August, they will meet again on Sunday at an event organised to mark the 25th anniversary of the Latur quake.
Their first meeting in Priya’s house in Mangrul last August was overwhelming for both Baxi and Priya.
Army rescuer reunited with baby he gave new life
“I would send prayers to God every day that I should meet this person. When we met at my house, we were speechless for a few minutes. I owe him my life. I wish he could have been there for my marriage,” said Priya, who now teaches in a school.
When Baxi located Priya, he, his wife and children travelled to the village to meet her. “I can never forget that moment,” said Baxi, whose work has taken him to several places, including a stint with the National Security Guard.
Baxi was a second lieutenant in 1993 and part of the army’s rescue team in Latur. On October 6, Baxi and his troops were toiling in Mangrul village. “It was already six days after the earthquake. We did not have any hope of finding anyone alive. It was assumed that those trapped under the debris were dead,” he said.
They were about to have their lunch at the camp in the village, when a couple in their thirties arrived requesting us to search for their baby girl trapped under the debris at home. “They were distraught. We went to the site and started digging at one end. We removed enough rubble to slide in,” recounted Baxi.
He went in and saw one side of an iron cot. “I went in further and after clearing the rubble, I touched a small figure. I informed my team that the baby was alive. The news spread and there were hundreds of villagers crowding in. The loose soil led to a landslide. Yet, after a few minutes, the baby and I were brought out safely,” said Baxi. He was awarded the Chief of Army Staff Commendation Card .