Subterranean Saga by Deepa Rajan

The running narrative about 33 miners who were trapped in a copper mine in northern Chile since August 5 finally reached its crescendo 69 days later- with the world watching on October 13, 2010, all 33 miners were successfully rescued in what is being cited as the most dramatic and miraculous rescue operation ever. This belief probably holds true, what with the likes of US President Barack Obama and Pope Benedict the XVI sending out messages of respect and hope to the miners and the Chilean government.

Miner Franklin Lobo embraces his daughter Carolina after he was rescued on Oct. 13

The commentary from all sources is common: it's an unparalleled story of heroism and human will to survive. A large amount of resources and expertise was invested in keeping the miners in Chile comfortable (special clothing, custom-designed beds and lights, even vaccinations to avert risky diseases.) Not taking away from the steely determination of the Chilean miners, there have been many such previous human experiences where people have been trapped or deprived their bodies of sunlight much longer than these men. These very people and their stories offered the understanding of how the negative effects of an upset body clock in these miners could be prevented. Much information on humans' ability to survive in the darkness comes from the ‘underground science’ experiments of  French scientist Michel Siffre, who part of a NASA study, spent long periods in dark isolation to study the effect on his body.

More importantly, October marks the 68 year anniversary of the particularly inspiring tale of a group of Ukrainian Jews that fled to a cave to hide from invading Nazis seeking to make Ukraine ‘Judenfrei’- free of Jews. On the night of October 12 1942, as Jewish families were vanishing all over Nazi-occupied eastern Europe, the extended Stermer family found that while there was little refuge to be found anywhere on the Earth—but underneath the surface, lay sanctuary. The accidental cavers endured the horrors of World War II inside the massive underground sanctuary known as Priest's Grotto in Korolówka, Ukraine. They lived solely on wheat, leeks, and other food they could sneak through a nondescript entrance at the bottom of a sloping sinkhole for 344 straight days, before receiving a note from the surface that their town had been liberated.

Priest's Grotto

On the surface, Priest’s Grotto is little more than a hole in the ground amid the endless wheat fields undulating across western Ukraine, but at 77 miles, it currently ranks as the tenth longest cave in the world.  While the cave proved a superior refuge, with clean water sources, separate chambers for cooking and smoke ventilation, little or no flooding and a concealed and difficult entry, living in state of light deprivation for such an extended time takes an unprecedented effort. Researchers and geologists are issued standard gear of special boots to prevent ankle sprains, wicking underwear to avert hypothermia, a special suit, special gloves for gripping things and three independent light sources—and this is all for a day trip into a cave.  

The combination of stress and sensory deprivation the Jewish survivors endured was almost without parallel. Today, the Stermers’ experience continues to shape virtually everything about their lives. Pepkale Stermer, who was five years old on her descent into the cave, travels with small stashes of food to safeguard against the possibility of going hungry. The survivors remain devoutly religious, both in spite of and because of their time underground.

Very often, the first light seen by such famously trapped individuals is the shine of the media spotlight that fades quickly after their stories are told. The survivors in Chile are receiving the hero’s treatment, but according to the Associated Press in many countries like China, thirteen miners are killed on average every day. So in the midst of all the fanfare and red carpet treatment of ‘The 33’, the question that needs to be asked is that will this latest subterranean saga ensure that the Chilean miners are taken care of, and will it help increase safety in the future?