With the sea as his backdrop, News18 Kerala reporter Anish was all set to give his piece to camera. He was reporting on how harsh the elements had gotten in the last few days, and the officials must - WHACK!
Anish got slapped across his head, so hard that the umbrella he was holding gave in.
His 'assaulter' was not a politician, not a bureaucrat, not even an angry friend.
It was the Arabian sea.
On Wednesday, Anish was reporting on the turbulent sea and the havoc it has been causing in Alappuzha. Along with his cameraperson, Anish had captured visuals of the destruction unleashed by the water – houses by the sea in ruin, as their owners sat mournfully watching the high tides.
Holding an umbrella, the reporter then stood with his back towards the sea, to deliver his piece to camera (PTC). “It’s been many days since the sea destroyed the houses here. People have no place to sleep, they don’t have any food…,” he begins.
And just as Anish is concluding, a huge wave crashes over him, forcefully closing his umbrella. But Anish refuses to be a wet blanket and give up. He soldiers on with the final words, “Authorities have not turned their eye here.”
With that brave delivery, Anish has become the beloved of Kerala’s TV news audience – with even celebrities like actor Jayasuriya commending his spirit and sincerity.
But it’s Kerala’s officials who may have had the last laugh. As former Kozhikode Collector Prasanth Nair noted on Facebook, “If you talk about officials who are not turning around to look out at the issue, without turning around yourself, this is what happens.”
News 18 Kerala even made a package out his moment.
Watch here: