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This ‘Yamraj’ saves lives by ferrying people across flooded streams
The man, 50, whose real name is Diwani Ram, has been working towards safely helping people cross rivulets since the age of 14 in the remote Bangapani area of Pithoragarh district.
Known locally as ‘Yamraj’, the God of Death, according to Hindu mythology, this Uttarakhand man saves lives of people from being washed away in flooded mountain rivulets in Pithoragarh district of the Himalyan state.
The man, 50, whose real name is Diwani Ram, has been working towards safely helping people cross rivulets since the age of 14 in the remote Bangapani area of Pithoragarh district. Due to heavy rainfall, many times bridges over the rivulets that connect villages or roads get washed away due to rise in water levels or sudden flash floods.
“When the rivulet Jaulagar swells during monsoon it becomes difficult to cross it as it has no Pukka bridge on it. Voluntarily, I started helping people to cross the flooded rivulets as my forefathers had also done the same for three generations in our family,” said Ram.
Ram won the last panchayat elections to become the gram pradhan of his village Siling in Baram region because of his philanthropic work.
“Due to lack of a permanent bridge over a swollen rivulet in Bangapani, people are not able to reach the main market or sub-divisional offices. This monsoon also, I, along with my team, have helped over 500 villagers from Talla Johar and Talla Darma villages to cross the flooded rivulet,” he added.
When asked if he charges people for his work during monsoons, Ram said, “I do it only for helping people. I earn a living by working as a blacksmith. Sometimes, the youth working in the army whom I have helped to cross a river or rivulet come to meet me with a box of sweets as a ‘thank you’ to me, which I think is the biggest reward for my work.”
Ram claims that in the past 36 years, he has helped over 18,000 people to cross flooded rivulets in the Bangapani sub-division of Pithoragarh district.
On why he is named ‘Yamraj’, when he works to save lives, he said, “I once had a male buffalo and used to ride that for work at times. Since then people started calling me Yamraj. People can call me whatever they want, what matters is that they love and respect me for my work.”
Umesh Dhami, a social worker and gram Pradhan of Madarama village in Pithoragarh, said, Diwani Ram is doing such an appreciable work by helping villagers cross swollen rivulets. “His family has been doing this work for the past three generations. The entire region of Munsiyari, Bangapani and some parts of Dharchula get flooded every monsoon with connecting bridges getting washed away often. Against this backdrop, his work is exemplary and unique,” he said.
People in the area have acknowledged his services by electing him as Pradhan of Siling village, said Dhami.
Anil Kumar Shukla, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Dharchula area of Pithoragarh, said, “The work that Ram is doing is very helpful for people here and is highly appreciated by the locals. During monsoons, it is common for rivers and rivulets to swell in the mountains. In the Bangapani region, there has been more than normal rainfall this year. However, all connecting bridges and roads have been repaired in the area”
