United We Stand

It was 1:46 am when Urzua walked out of the Phoenix 2(the capsule used to haul the 33 mariners up) amidst the crowd which sang and cheered and praised him for his might.

'You are not the same, and the country is not the same after this. You were an inspiration. Go hug your wife and your daughter.', said the Chilean President Sebastian Pinera to Urzua.

Urzua is a real life hero. He is somebody from whom all the leaders, managers and rescue squad can learn a lot. He made a difference to a scene which seemed too dismal and left people praying for hope. A lot of women cried and children wailed and he brought shine to their eyes. The feat was neither achieved in a day nor single handedly. He had to struggle 70 days and with 32 people relying on their saviour.

The miners of the gold and copper of San Jose mine had gone through the most adverse days of their lives. The first 17 days were really tough.

It was no less than a miracle to the "Loss 33" to survive the odds and still keep the faith on their survival. Besides these miners it was the grit and courage of the rescuers who decided to go down and bring back the lost. The team of engineers, the medics ,the nutritionists , the scientists of NASA and many more who worked day and night to guarantee the success of the operation as much as they could.

The miners had food stock only for 48 hours which they stretched for the first 17 days and Urzua helped them maintain it. They took tiny sips of milk everyday.

They had applied all the knowledge of surviving with the minimum. They saved on the helmet torch which was the only source of illumination available.

When they were guaranteed the outlet, they listed the batch of people who would go first, second and last. The last man out was surely going to be Urzua.They were so sure about the exit that they fought over who would go last. They wanted the people who were old, suffering from medical problems to go earlier.

We come across many instances of team spirit when we talk of sports ,films,politics but when the matter of survival surfaces, it is only few who stick to plans and strategies. Actually one doesn't have much time to ponder about many things associated with the crisis, if death seems approaching.

The miners who had at one instance established the fact that the world has given up on them stuck together, followed their leader and passed the ordeal with brave heart. When chances of rescuing the miners seemed impossible, the miners proved that God always helps the people who help themselves.

The moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out.-James Baldwin