Mangalore: 'Rays' of Hope Soar as 'Jeevan Kiran' Gets New 'Life'
by Melka Miyar
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje, Prajwal Ukkuda
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)
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Mangalore, Oct 16: Kiran's elder sister Veena was waiting to celebrate her daughter's birthday with all her family members on October 17, 2008. But she never expected such a surprise gift at her daughter's birthday. For, Jeevan Kiran D’Souza, it would be a celebration of his rebirth, along with his niece's birthday. Interestingly, his elder brother Wilson, who is working in Kuwait, will also reach the city on Friday October 17.
Jeevan Kiran D’Souza was one of the seamen working in the ship ‘Iran Deynat,’ which was captured by the Somalian pirates on August 21, 2008. Jeevan had totally lost the hope of coming back alive and meeting his family members again. All the crew was living under the watchful eyes of the gun-totting pirates. But his niece Carrol is fortunate to see her uncle alive, at her first birthday celebrations. By co-incidence, he reached Mangalore airport on Thursday October 16.
Jeevan Kiran has lost about 15 kgs of weight since he was abducted by the pirates. Though he reached his motherland safely, he has not yet been able to shake himself out of the mental trauma he suffered when in captivity. He recalls each and every harrowing moment he faced then, along with his colleagues in the ship.
It was 6.30 am on August 21, 2008 when the pirates all of a sudden, charged at his ship, which was sailing towards Poland. A total of 16 pirates came in two speed boats and started firing in the air to threaten the crew. Later, they demanded money from the ship captain. The captain paid them 10,000 dollars which he had in his possession. But they were not satisfied with it and demanded for more. They told the captain to take the ship to an unknown spot. They changed the direction of the ship more than 4 times, so that they could take the ship to a place called Eyl.
The condition of the crew worsened after the food and water in the ship got exhuasted within two days since the pirates captured it. Later, the captured crew were served with two slices of bread in the morning and in the evening and a little rice in the afternoon. The supply of rice was also stopped after a few days. Some of the crew members became weak after some days and they found it hard even to walk around in the ship. The pirates also disconnected all the satellite communication systems, through which the crew was contacting the external world, within two days, Jeevan explains.
The abductors used to function in shifts. A total of 25 abductors were looking after the ship on each shift by turns and they appeared to have been trained in the navy, opined Jeevan. They were systematic in their work. They were doing exercises in the morning in the ship. Even their senior was regularly training in the ship. But they were eating like animals with both their hands. It was an unbearable sight to watch their uncivilized eating style, he adds.
The abductors were always pointing guns at the abductees and threatening them to finish them off within a few days. Therefore, all the crew members lost the hope of coming back to their motherland alive. The abductors only knew the Somalian language. But, they had a translator with them, who knew both Somalian and English languages. He was working as the mediator between the head of the abductors and the Iranian government, Jeevan narrates.
The pirates felt relaxed, after the Iranian government handed over to them the money, as demanded by them. They did not harass the crew while leaving the ship. The crew then travelled up to Salalah port located in Oman. Later, their employers arranged for the travel of the crew members to their respective motherlands. Accordingly, Jeevan reached Mumbai at about 5.30 am on Thursday, along with his Indian colleagues Akbar from Ratnagiri and Antony from Goa.
“I would like to relax for the next few months and try to forget all the bitter experiences that I had during the last couple of months. After that, I will think about my future plans,” Jeevan confesses.
Meanwhile, his family members have expressed their gratitude to www.daijiworld.com, the first-ever media which published news about Jeevan's abduction and followed it up with later developments.
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