Ravindran Nair, 59, went to Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram Medical College complaining of a back pain on Saturday and was stuck in the hospital's lift for two days and was rescued on Monday. He said it was the worst nightmare for him as for 42 hours he was without food, water, and light.
Recounting the trauma, Nair said he was pressing the lift's alarm button but there was no response. He used his phone and tried to contact several (helpline) numbers written inside the elevator, however, he got no response. Then the phone fell and stopped working, he added.
He sat in one corner of the lift and told himself he would get through this. Nair said he kept his hope alive and remembered his family.
“I urinated in a corner. Sometimes, I would cry out loud. I couldn’t sleep. When I felt thirsty or hungry, I just licked my lips. I kept pressing the alarm bell regularly. Although the lift chamber had no fan or light, some air continued to waft in, ensuring a continuous supply of oxygen,” he told The Indian Express.
Nair, who is also a local CPI leader said he lost track of time, however, to keep himself motivated he recited the poems his wife had written and published. He said he knew them by heart.
Ravindran Nair, who is a staff member at the local legislators’ hostel, is a resident of Ulloor district, Kerala, went to the hospital with his wife Sreelekha.
Sreelekha, who worked in the same hospital, did not notice that her husband didn't return home as he works in shifts. But the family got worried when Ravindran did not return home on Sunday and they were even not able to contact him on his phone. When they contacted the CPI office, they came to know that he had been missing since Saturday.
By Sunday afternoon, the family registered a missing person report at a local police station.
Meanwhile, Ravindran was rescued when a lift operator reported for duty on Monday morning. After he was rescued, he was admitted to the same government hospital for a check-up.
