Kerala rains have taught us that the state is full of heroes. It is unfortunate that we only found them when it required drastic action. While the rains have battered the state like never before and the total death toll has reached over 370, it also saw a lot of heroic accounts of rescue.

The devastating deluge in Kerala witnessed the emergence of fishermen as saviours when hundreds of them decided to brave through flood-waters to venture into areas where even naval commandos could not reach.

With about 600 country vessels, they ventured into the most remote corners of the affected areas. Out of the 54,000 persons rescued in Ernakulam district, 18,000 were saved by fishermen who deployed 240 boats there.

Most of the fishermen came from the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Malappuram, Kannur, Trissur and Ernakulam.

The Internet has been all praises for these fishermen - comparing them to the comic book superheroes we have grown up admiring.

Fisherman > Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Heman, and all other mans put together! (for a Keralite today)#KeralaFloods pic.twitter.com/w8ENJwoaaP — Salil Ravindran (@salilravindran) August 20, 2018

Name : unknown Address : unknown But people like this, whom we call as "just fishermen" saved thousands of lives in Kerala during flood. #KeralaFloods #KeralaFloodRelief pic.twitter.com/tGgxptKO3H — Lajo Jose (@lajojose) August 19, 2018

There was no Captain America, There was no Iron Man, There was no Thor, There was no Superman or Batman either. There was only Fishermen. Our guardian angels ❤️ Time to design few T shirts with the logo.Buyers on demand 😎 #KeralaFloods #KeralaFloodRelief pic.twitter.com/ym5gGv9iIt — Do For Kerala (@urstrulyadhil) August 20, 2018

REAL HEROES DON’T WEAR MASKS. We call them “fisherman” but they are “Superman”. Some of them traveled 120 kms to Chengannur to save lives of people stranded, facing death,due to the deluge. Take a bow 🙏🙏🙏❤️✊ #KeralaFloods #KeralaFloodRelief #KeralaRains pic.twitter.com/AOhANVMA4t — Rajiv B Menon (@crypticrajiv) August 19, 2018

Even prominent actor Siddharth, who had earlier also posted about how people could contribute to Kerala floods, also praised these fishermen.

The #fishermen the #ArmedForces local and national NGOs and most importantly the common people of Kerala have shown the world the power of human kindness and courage in the face of such devastation. The rest of India would do well to watch and take inspiration. Be strong #Kerala — Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) August 20, 2018

Our superhero fishermen saving babies from floods! So far they've rescued more than one lakh people ❤️ These are the people you regard with contempt and and consider dirty.#KeralaFloods pic.twitter.com/UFcESwxaG2 — Sankar Das #RebuildKerala (@mallucomrade) August 19, 2018

It's during times of great distress that you get to show what you are made of. You can be a disgusting gutter sanghi. Or you can choose to be like the hero fishermen of Kerala#KeralaFloods pic.twitter.com/j6WUKXT71Y — Sankar Das #RebuildKerala (@mallucomrade) August 19, 2018

Hats off to the real heroes of this rescue effort....the Fishermen of Kerala. They brought all their boats and launched a massive coordinated evacuation. No one asked them, no one funded them...they just did it!.#KeralaFloodRescue pic.twitter.com/WG5BOxYR1G — Dr. Ashley Jacob (@DrAshleyJacob) August 20, 2018

And the fishermen are also treated as heroes they are.

The Chief minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan had asked people to give them a grand welcome when they come back home.

And they did receive a gesture worthy of superheroes - something that is usually reserved for idols being carried on the backs of trucks was similarly demonstrated by people.

The fishermen in Kerala remind us that just like Batman and Superman, the real heroes are ordinary people. And, they don't wear capes.