Roping girls into the buoy act

CHENNAI: It was the loss of a life dear to her that spurred S Nathiya's decision to turn rescuer. Three years ago, as Nathiya watched the body of her uncle being taken for cremation, she decided she was going to learn how to save drowning people.
“My uncle was an experienced swimmer, surrounded by seasoned swimmers, at the pool where he worked, and still, no one knew what to do to save him.What is the point of being an excellent swimmer if you cannot save someone who is dying in the water,“ says Nathiya, a state-level swimmer and coach.
Today , Nathiya is a certified lifeguard -one of the few women lifeguards in Chennai -and is undergoing training from the Rastriya Life Saving Society of India (RLSS) to become a lifesaver. Understanding the need for women lifeguards and lifesavers, and in an attempt to bring more women into the fold, RLSS is starting an all-women wing this December, possibly the first of its kind in India. “This is the 125th year of the Royal Lifesaving Society , UK, which RLSS is affiliated to, so we thought the best way to celebrate would be to encourage women to learn lifesaving,“ says Jayanthi Murugesh, one of the founders of the Chennai wing.
Pune-based RLSS president Rear Admiral PD Sharma says the idea behind the centre is to create an army of women life savers. Establishing an all-women lifesaving organisation is being realised with the launch of All Women's Centre in Chennai.“Every year, we lose 130,000 people to drowning in India though the official statistics are only half that number,“ says Sharma. He says there are three categories of lifesavers -first-aiders, who are the first responders on land; lifesavers, who are the first-aiders of the aquatic environment; and lifeguards, who create a safe aquatic environment and focus more on prevention of accidents. “ At present, there are hardly any professional women lifeguards in the country ,“ he says.
M V Gajalakshmi a physical director at The Madras Seva Sadan Higher Secondary School is a another lifesaver from the city . “It's just a small percentage of people who know swimming, so I think its a duty for every swimmer to save a life, irrespective of their gender,“ says the 38-year-old former national swimmer.
Tarun, Jayanthi's son and one of the chief trainers at RLSS-Chennai, says he started the Chennai chapter after saving two women from drowning at sea. “There were people standing around but no one knew what to do,“ says Tarun, who also trains officers of the Coast Guard and cadets at the Officers Training Academy .“Women don't mind training in land-oriented life-saving techniques but steer clear of anything to do with water. They have the misconception that lifesaving in water is only about strength,“ he says. “Physical strength plays a part, but it is also about mental strength.“
Tarun illustrates his point, saying that one of the first lifesaving techniques taught is the “dry rescue“, where participants are taught to use a rope, tubes and other equipment to save a drowning person. “We teach people how to make use of what they have on hand. Women, for instance, have their sarees or dupattas. You can stay on land and rescue a person by throwing in one end of the saree or dupatta,“ he says.
Nathiya, 26, says learning lifesaving has made her more alert whenever she is near water. “Whether I am at the beach or at the pool, my eyes are now always on the watch for someone in trouble,“ she adds.
In Mumbai, Sunil Kanojia, president of The Sea Guardian Lifeguard, says since the organisation was formed, he has been trying to get women to come in for training, but found no takers. “There seems to be a mental block regarding lifesaving in water.Women don't mind swimming for competitions but they don't want to upgrade that training to save lives,“ says Kanojia. “Ironically , it is usually women who are in the best position to save lives. They are the ones who take children to school, swimming class, and the beach. It's more crucial that a woman learns life saving skills.“
Despite India's vast coastline, water-based life-saving skills are taught by less than a handful of organisations. At Alert-We Care, another life-saving organisation, only landbased skills are imparted. Pallavi Vanacharla, a volunteer, says of late more women are keen to learn life-saving. From college students to home-makers, they are signing up for the same reason -that they are at the right place at the right time but with no skills -the difference between life and death.