Shivdurg Mitra volunteers

Rajmachi

Dhokale (above, left), who is recovering at a city hospital (right) now, was carried on a stretcher to the road by rescuers above, right), after his friends were unable to move the 104-kg man; however, instead of calling for help, they just left

transporter

hospital

Hinjawadi

With friends like these, who needs enemies? The old maxim came to life along the beautiful but treacherous climes of the Sahyadris this week, after a group of friends saw one of their own slip into a gorge — but simply left the unfortunate victim behind and went away, shattering a trusted bond.The set of ‘frenemies’, who reportedly trek together often, had decided to visit the rain-fed Kataldhar waterfalls near, some 77 km from Pune, situated in the lush green lap of the mountain range. After planning to spend the whole of Monday at the locale, the group, comprising two women and three men, booked a cab and reached the venue by afternoon. But soon, an unexpected tragedy would not just cast a shadow on their picnic, but also permanently impact their camaraderie.In the course of the trek, 29-year-old Pravin Dhokale, awho provides cargo services to e-commerce companies in the city, skidded on a slippery rock and fell into a deep ditch. As heavy rain came down, the slick surface made it difficult for him to crawl out — and multiple fractures in his left leg had already made it near-impossible to move, leaving him crying with pain. While the other four made attempts to drag him out, at 104 kg, Dhokale proved difficult to shift.Shockingly, soon thereafter, the four ‘friends’ simply drifted away from the spot, making various excuses as they exited one by one — leaving Dhokale behind alone to die.After an hour’s struggle, a traumatised Dhokale somehow managed to haul himself out from the ditch, and reached a remote spot where his mobile phone caught a few bars of network. Darkness had set in, and Dhokale had lost all sense of direction in his pain. When his abandoners didn’t even take his calls, Dhokale started calling a few other friends, who proved more loyal — they managed to connect him to Shivdurg Mitra, a group of volunteers and trekkers from Lonavala frequently involved in rescues.The experts swung into action and located Dhokale, and after around two hours of effort, carried him to safety on a stretcher, ensuring that he reached aNow admitted at the DY Patil Hospital in Pimpri, Dhokale has to undergo multiple surgeries, with a limb fractured in three places and an infection that has complicated his injuries. Full of praises for his rescuers from Shivdurg Mitra, the survivor is equally full of curses for his socalled friends.“The five of us were close, I thought — we all work with various IT companies in Wakad and, and have trekked together on multiple occasions. This time, we reached Rajmachi around 3.30 pm and decided to walk through the greenery in the rain, towards the waterfall. As I am a little heavyset, I fell slightly behind — suddenly, I lost my balance and skidded from a slippery rock. It was a very painful experience and I was unable to move. They tried to drag me, but failed,” narrated Dhokale, adding, “I was crying in unbearable pain. My friends had no signal on their phones. Within the hour, they wandered away one by one, claiming to get help. I trusted them and waited for two hours. Finally, I knew I had to help myself. I dragged my injured limb for half a kilometre, when my phone fortunately caught network. I tried to call them, but they didn’t even respond. Finally, I got in touch with a friend in Bhosari, who immediately called Shivdurg Mitra volunteers. Within half an hour, they reached me. I was about to lose my senses, when the noise of people coming and torchlights gave me hope. They carried me out to the main road around 9.30 pm. None of my ‘friends’ was on the road either. The volunteers informed my parents and ensured that I reached hospital for treatment.”A saddened Dhokale observed, “Strangers helped me without expectations — my own ‘friends’ left me to die. I will never forget this. It is true that friendship is tested in a crisis. I will now meet the ‘strangers’ from Shivdurg Mitra and express gratitude to them for saving my life.”His rescuers were also taken aback by the heartlessness displayed in this episode.“He told us about his so-called friends and we felt very sorry for him. It was for the first time that we have seen such a thing. He could have died because of the rain or his injuries or snake bite! We are thankful his phone was functioning. His willpower to reach till he got a signal saved him,” said Sunil Gaikwad, a volunteer of the group.He added, “Dhokale was about to fall unconscious when we got to him. Some in our group tried to carry him on our shoulders, but as he was heavy and in pain, we got our hanging stretcher out. We are happy he is out of danger now. That area is too dangerous for trekkers. Heavy rocks, slippery routes, dense forest, and fear of snakes and other wild animals are an ever-present reality.”Meanwhile, the youth’s father Yuvraj Dhokale, a Tata Motors employee, told Mirror, “It feels like god sent these people to save my son. We will be forever grateful to them. I will also suggest to him that he stay away from such selfish ‘friends’. It has been a harsh, but good lesson for life.”