City Pulse

Meet Bharat Phunge, social activist and disaster management Guru. Thousands living in the outskirts of Mumbai and its adjacent areas swear by him, and praise the six-year ‘selfless service’ he has rendered to the Brihan Mumbai Corporation’s Disaster Management Control Room.

Bharat’s USP is his tremendous will to succeed, and his ambition is to train people, especially children, in the fearless art and science of fighting disasters and handling their calamitous aftermath.  

Born in Dulhe district of the Maharashtra, Bharat instills fearlessness and preparedness in people. Children in the age group 9 to 14 lap up his crash courses on tackling and reversing the impacts of catastrophes that kill humans and wreak havoc on cities & towns.

26/11

“I wanted to join the Indian Army. It was my father’s dream to see me do something valorous for India. But I couldn’t fulfill his dream,” says Bharat. “So, I took up social work and then became a firefighter in the BMC’s fire brigade.”

After he helped douse the 26/11 fires that engulfed the Taj Mahal hotel’s dome and the Trident hotel, the BMC moved Bharat to its Disaster Control Room.

Today, Bharat’s is a familiar voice on the ‘1916’ toll-free helpline. Sitting at his desk in the control room, attending to phone calls, Bharat is in his elements.

“In my free time, I conduct awareness campaigns in colleges, schools and housing societies. I teach people how to deal with disasters triggered by fire, water or earthquakes,” says Bharat.

Training the young

Bharat’s knowledge of disaster management is much in demand. He gets invited to train people, mostly children, on how to respond when disaster strikes, natural or man-made, week after week.

“The majority of the victims of disasters are children. Our key focus is to train and prepare the future of India (children) to face, tackle and handle disasters,” says Bharat.

Bharat’s team of 5-6 from the BMC’s disaster department conducts 5-6 sessions a month. He has earned great respect in the Vasai-Virar belt. Almost everyone in the belt has Bharat’s cell number!

He narrates an incident that took place a few years ago. He got an SOS on his mobile from a family threatened with electrocution in their home. The life of three members of the family were at risk.

“With just that one call, I arrived with my equipment at the disaster site and switched off the circuit in the fuse-box inside the house,” says Bharat.

Ripples of effect

Vivek Patil, a resident of Ever Shine locality in Vasai says Bharat is doing great work. “I sent my two daughters, aged 8 and 11, to Bharat’s classes. The impact and change I observed in them after that was radical. They are now far more vigilant now,” asserts Patil. “I urge other children and their families to join the sessions. Learning to battle disasters will change and save lives.”

Bharat has trained thousands of people from social organisations, NGOs, police, schools and colleges in disaster management. Phunge’s work spans across Vasai- Virar, Ghatkopar, Western Mumbai and adjacent areas. He does not charge a fee for his disaster management classes.

The top focus is on disaster management-skills and techniques to keep the people at large safe. The training modules include firefighting, handling electrical mishaps and shielding oneself from the aftermath of catastrophic events. Bharat holds his sessions in front of a live audience. His goal is to drive the phobia of disasters from the minds of people.

Message to Prime Minster Modi!

Bharat has a message for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I urge our PM to talk about disaster management in his Maan Ki Baat. It will inspire common people to be constructive and proactive. The PM should also create a ministry of disaster management.”

(Article By Amit Sarswat - A Mumbai based independent journalist and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.)