Two Ambulance Drivers from Kottayam, Kerala — Sajimon and Shaiju — recently completed a courageous journey covering 3,500 kilometers. They transported a bedridden Nepali migrant worker and his son to a remote village in Nepal within just three days, overcoming unfamiliar roads, forests, police hassles, and attempts of roadside extortion.
The journey began on June 13. Abhaya Emergency Service in Kodimatha, Kottayam, received an urgent call. Ganesh Bahadur, a 45-year-old who worked at a rubber factory in Kanjirapally, had collapsed unconscious due to a heart attack on May 24 and was admitted to a private hospital in Pala. Despite surgery and weeks of treatment, he remained bedridden, and ambulance transport was the only option to bring him home.
Sajimon and Shaiju immediately sprang into action. They reached the hospital by evening and set off without delay. “We had only one goal — to get him home as quickly as possible. We stopped only for refueling, meals, and to feed the patient through his tube,” recalls Shaiju. Along with Ganesh were his son Jamu and a neighbor. “The son didn’t speak Hindi, but the neighbor did. We communicated everything through him,” he said.
Though they had experience traveling through many Indian states, this was their first time crossing an international border into Nepal. But the journey was far from easy. In Uttar Pradesh, the police stopped the ambulance at night. “The siren was on, the patient was inside the vehicle, yet the police stopped us and asked for our names, IDs, and even our father’s names.
It felt like they were investigating us based on religion,” Shaiju says. “In Maharashtra, police demanded a bribe of 7,500 rupees. We paid 500 rupees and moved ahead. There was no time to argue,” he adds. More trouble arose in Uttar Pradesh when their ambulance lightly collided with another vehicle. Although initially resolved with apologies, some men from that vehicle stopped them later on the road, snatched the ambulance keys, and demanded money. Seeing the severity of the situation, the drivers sounded the siren, and when nearby people realized there was a patient inside, the group dispersed.
Upon reaching the India-Nepal border, locals advised against taking a forest route at night due to fear of robbery. “We chose a safe route even though it was 50 kilometers longer,” Shaiju says. On the morning of June 16, they entered Nepal but still had 250 kilometers to go. The last 70 kilometers were extremely difficult — dense forests and newly constructed roads that mostly had to be driven in first gear. This stretch took seven hours to cover.
Finally, by evening, they reached Baruwa village. Ganesh’s father, mother, wife, daughter, and villagers greeted them with folded hands and emotional welcomes. “We were moved too,” says Shaiju. Interestingly, one villager spoke excellent Malayalam. “He had lived in Kerala before and became our interpreter, staying with us for four hours,” Shaiju added.
The two drivers stayed only four hours in the village — eating, bathing, and resting a bit. “The family requested us to stay overnight, but we had to return immediately,” Shaiju explained. On the morning of June 20, they returned to Kottayam. “The heat outside Kerala was unbearable. When we left, it was raining; by the time we returned, the rain had stopped. But the highways across India were good, so we could maintain speed,” Shaiju says.
Ganesh’s son and neighbor took five days to reach Kerala, but because of Ganesh’s fragile condition, the return trip was shortened. The total cost of the journey was approximately 200,000 Indian rupees, which was borne by the factory. “We have helped them before — mostly by transporting the bodies of deceased migrant workers,” says Sajimon.
For living patients, only those in stable condition are transported. But in emergencies, trained assistants who can arrange immediate treatment accompany the patient. “For this reason, road travel is considered safer than flights — if needed, patients can be taken to nearby hospitals,” Shaiju explained.
This story is a shining example of extraordinary courage, compassion, and humanitarian service by ordinary drivers — inspiring humanity that transcends borders.
Source: Original report by Meenu Mathew published on www.onmanorama.com