Sub-Inspector Chandradeep Nishad has become an internet sensation overnight. Amid relentless rainfall in Uttar Pradesh that has left residential areas flooded in Prayagraj, two videos of the 48-year-old embracing the Ganga — even as it inundated his home — have gone viral.
“The Ganga has given me a lot in life. I owe much of my progress to this river, and that’s why it means so much to me,” he says.
One video shows Nishad folding his hands and praying to the floodwater that has entered his house in Prayagraj’s Mori, reverently addressing it as ‘Ganga Maiya’. Dressed in his police uniform, he is seen pouring milk into the water and scattering rose petals.
In another video, he is seen diving off the second floor of his house into the floodwater below and swimming around.
For the past two days, the heavy rain has led to flood-like conditions in at least 17 districts of Uttar Pradesh. Thousands of families have been displaced, and major rivers like the Ganga and Yamuna continue to flow above the danger mark. In districts such as Prayagraj, residential areas have been inundated.
Nishad, however, remains calm, saying the river played a major role in shaping his career and personal growth.
He says he was inducted into the police force through the sports quota in 1995 because of his achievements as a swimmer, having participated in several national-level competitions. “I learned to swim in the river Ganga. It all started there. Later, I moved to Lucknow to pursue greater opportunities in life,” he shares, adding that the Sangam is around 500 metres from his house.
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He joined the police force as a constable and was recently promoted to sub-inspector about a month and a half ago. Currently, he says he is attached to the Fatehpur district and posted as a Personal Security Officer (PSO) to a judge of the Allahabad High Court.
On the videos, Nishad says that after the floodwater entered his house in Mori — which falls under the jurisdiction of the Daraganj police station — about five-six days ago, his children took to sharing photos and videos from different days on social media, capturing the situation.
“The video from the first day shows the water level was still low, so I stepped outside and performed a small puja to Ganga Maiya,” says Nishad.
“As the water level kept rising, I took a bath in it. The next day, when the flooding worsened, I jumped into the water from the second floor of my house. Around four days ago, the water on the ground floor had reached a height of nearly nine feet, so we had to move all our belongings to the first and second floors.”
He adds, “As the water kept rising, we feared it might reach the first floor as well. But now, it has started to recede. Currently, the water level on the ground floor has come down to about seven feet.”
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Nishad says he isn’t very familiar with using mobile phones. “I had just saved the videos on my phone. It was my children who took the pictures and videos and uploaded them on social media,” he says. He has three children, all studying.
He says that similar flood-like situations had occurred in the past as well, notably in 2013, 2016, and again in 2019.
When asked how he manages to get to work despite the flooding, he explains that the terraces of nearby houses are close to each other, so he jumps from one rooftop to another until he reaches an area where the water level is low. From there, he uses the stairs of that house to get down to the road and continues to his duty.
“My neighbours are very helpful, so I haven’t faced any difficulties,” he says.
