Hyderabad: ‘Tank Bund Shiva’, known for saving hundreds of people who fell into the Hussain Sagar, received financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh from the Telangana government on Tuesday, March 31, after Chief Minister Revanth Reddy learnt about his financial struggles.
Shiva’s son Venumadhav was also given a Home Guard job, and officials were asked to allocate a double-bedroom house for the family.
Meeting the Chief Minister on Tuesday, Shiva requested that a swimming pool be built near Tank Bund to provide employment opportunities, which the chief minister obliged, a release from the CMO stated.
‘Tank Bund Shiva’ is a lifeguard who has been saving lives and helping retrieve bodies from the Hussain Sagar for the past 25 years.
In an interview with Humans of Hyderabad, Shiva said that he spent his early childhood in an orphanage after being separated from his family during a religious procession.
At one point, he started collecting scrap to earn money. This is when he met his ‘god-sent’ brother, Mahender. Unfortunately, one day, Mahendar drowned in a lake while trying to save someone.
From that day on, Shiva decided to train himself so that he wouldn’t be helpless in the face of tragedy. Over the years, Shiva has saved over 130 lives and helped police retrieve countless bodies.
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