I saw people drowning right in front of my eyes. Passengers were snatching life jackets, desperate to save their own lives. I managed to grab one and gave it to my wife, then hurried to the rooftop of the ferry,” recalls Ajay Soni, popularly known as Munna Battery, a familiar name in poetry circles. Soni, who had been a participant in India’s Laughter Champion, judged by Archana Puran Singh and Shekhar Suman, had come to Mumbai with his wife, Sulekha, who was seeing the sea for the first time.

Everyone was busy clicking photographs when, suddenly, a speedboat rammed into our ferry. There was absolute panic at that moment. But the ferry owner tried to calm everyone, saying there was no major damage and things were under control. Soon, however, passengers spotted the tyres tied to the vessel’s sides breaking apart, and the ferry gradually began sinking. With that, our hope of survival started sinking too,” Soni added.