KOLKATA: An elderly morning walker, suffering from heart problems, dived into the Lake on Saturday to foil a woman’s attempt to drown herself.For his brave act, fellow morning walkers felicitated Subhash Gupta (70) with a citation during a flag hoisting ceremony on Wednesday at Safari Park inside Rabindra Sarobar Around 7.45am on Saturday, Gupta — who has undergone coronary-artery stenting twice — heard a splash as he sat down on a bench after his daily rounds. He told TOI that he sprang into action when he spotted the woman struggling to stay afloat. He feared that she would disappear any moment into the Lake, that is deeper during the monsoons. “As I rushed to the water’s edge, I could see her drowning. So I took off my shoes and jumped in,” said the former CEO of Kitply Industries Ltd and Darjeeling Plantation and Industries. He swam up to the woman, who was 15ft away, caught her arm and pulled her to the shore. “Her head was barely sticking out. She was clinging desperately to reeds. It was not easy to pull her out. At one point I found myself losing balance in the water,” he said.“He brought the woman ashore. He appeared exhausted but nonplussed,” said fellow morning walker and green activist Somendramohan Ghosh. By this time, a huge crowd had gathered. Among them were rowers, security guards and regular visitors. They stood shouting and some even captured the incident on their smartphones, but nobody volunteered to help.“We couldn’t have found a better I-Day hero than him. It was dramatic moment. Dear old SG showed remarkable courage despite his cardiac ailment, thrashing around frantically to keep his head above water. His bravery needs to be recognised. The woman could have died,” said Ghosh.Other morning walkers commended Gupta, who averted the suicide bid. But the septuagenarian was too embarrassed to accept the praises. “I don’t need a pat on my back. Think of the sacrifices made by our jawans,” he said donating Rs 72,000 to Army Welfare Fund.The morning walkers feel that the incident should be an eye-opener for KMDA, the keepers of the sprawling 192-acre Rabindra Sarobar. The Lake is considered the lungs of south Kolkata, with its 73-acre waterbody and a 5km bank periphery. “None of the security guards here have been trained to swim. Suicides and murder bids have been common here,” said Ghosh.But a KMDA engineer insisted, “There are 58 security guards and six supervisors working in three shifts. Ever since the guards have been posted, there have been no suicides at the Lake. Saturday’s incident was a stray one.”He added, “There are some safety measures, though. The ambulance in which the woman was taken to hospital is posted permanently outside Rabindra Sarobar.”

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