Over the last few days that I have been in Italy, I have come to realise that I am living a completely different life. My life changed in a matter of hours with Russel’s disappearance and all the goals and objectives that I once had are now a distant past. I realise that I have a responsibility towards Russel, my family and myself to continue searching for him and I cannot give up till I find him.
I am in touch with my family every day and keep giving them hope. It is difficult for them to come to terms with the situation and I know that they are trying their best to be strong in this trying time, but I have taken it upon myself to encourage them. Every day, I tell them not to cry and feel helpless, as Russel is not dead, simply lost, and that I will find him and bring him home. This is not the time to cry. It is the time to pray.
I last spoke to Russel on January 6. Now, everytime I think of him, I see him rushing to the upper floors of the Costa Concordia, trying hard to help people trapped there with scant regard for his own safety.
His colleagues have told me that when the accident occurred, Russel rushed out of his room wearing only shorts and a T-shirt. He then started helping fellow passengers and was also seen inflating lifeboats and lowering them in the water along with some others. I am told that he was among the last few crew members to abandon ship.
Without a doubt, this is not easy for me. But I have always preferred praying to crying in times of crisis. Like so many others, I find solace in prayer. Boundaries of nationality and religion are blurring around me as I work shoulder to shoulder with people of different countries and faiths, all looking for their loved ones lost at sea. We go through a range of emotions every time a body is fished out of the water. Every day we pray together for our loved ones to be found, and we have thus formed a bond, which overrides nationality, religion and language.
I have been in Italy since the mishap occurred. With each passing day, I know that hoping to find Russel alive is not exactly advisable, but I simply cannot give up. Whatever the situation, I have made a promise to my family and myself that I will bring Russel home and I will keep that promise no matter what.
At a difficult time like this, I draw strength from myself and from my family, friends and the thousands of well-wishers in India and Italy, who continue to send their blessings and support. My brother-in-law Vikram Pinto is doing an admirable job by being the pillar of support for my family back home, while I search for Russel here. Wishes pour in through phone calls, emails and comments on social networking websites every day, lending much needed strength to keep me going here.
I refuse to put an end to search. Every day, I commute by boat from Milan to Porta Di Giglio to the scene of the accident where salvage operations are underway round-the-clock. It is quite scary to imagine such a huge
structure sinking and the plight of those trapped inside.
During my stay here, I have developed a good rapport with the people who are in charge of the search-and-rescue operations, and they try their best to make me understand the procedure every time I visit the site.
Even the officials have been very cooperative. There are 10 different agencies working here for 24 hours a day and I am in awe of their efficiency. I do not have any complaints about them. I also don’t expect them to come up with speedy results, as I know an operation of such huge magnitude will take time.
However, I will not give up till I find Russel. The other day, I prayed for all those still missing and threw a rosary in the sea so that God would hear out prayers.