“On a fine Sunday morning, on June 25, 2017, I was preparing for a marathon run along with my two dogs, Potato and Pi, near Thattekere Lake. We ran, we chased, we fetched; the perfect reward after a few hard weeks. We were having a great time until Potato decided to enter the nearby lake.
Suddenly, Potato started to panic and I witnessed a crocodile heading towards him. I jumped into the lake as soon as I saw this. I ended up saving him, however, in the process I lost my left arm. I remember having felt a nerve-wrenching pain as a fully-grown adult crocodile had bit into my left forearm.
As my chances for survival were dwindling, I had to make the impossible choice: my arm, or my life. I was trying to think the problem through, balancing my life experience with my television habits (“I Shouldn’t be Alive”, a documentary series by the Discovery Network) and instinctively knew which solution to try. With a lot of struggle and the will to never give up, I chose to survive. To hell with that croc!
I was discharged a few days later and within a week I was back at work. Soon, I co-founded Dozee with a friend of mine from IIT Bombay, as we discovered a new method to monitor health and detect diseases. After a near-death experience, I wanted it to go beyond just being a healthcare startup. My goal was to inspire people to come out of tough situations and improve the mental and physical health of society at large.
My surgeon told me only 1 in 1000 victims survive a crocodile attack. It’s a number I think about often. Imagine how rare a crocodile attack must be. Every day, no matter how bad, is still a gift.
Potato and Pi are still eating all my food and barking at birds and I now wear a custom myoelectric arm. If I was putting in 10 hours of work, now it’s 14. My priorities have changed considerably.” said Mudit Dandwate
OFFICIAL PEOPLE OF INDIA 