# Guna Caves rescue

On 3 September 2006, Subhash Chandran fell into Guna Caves in Tamil Nadu, India and was rescued by his friend Siju David. This is the only known case where a person who has fallen into Guna Caves has survived.

## Background

   "It was pitch dark inside and no one knew whether the rope reached him"
Subhash Chandran who was 19 at the time was from Manjummel, Ernakulam, Kerala and worked as a painter. Subhash, along with Siju David, who is also known as Kuttan, and numerous other childhood friends were part of a club named Darshana. 9 club members went to Kodaikanal to visit Guna Caves. A sign in Tamil indicated that the area was a prohibited area where 13 people had died; however, the group could not read Tamil and proceeded to cross the dilapidated fence.
Subhash, who had wanted to go into the 100-foot deep cave, tripped and fell inside. His friend Abhilash John was the first to notice his fall and informed the rest of the friend group. When the friend group made contact with locals they were advised to leave to avoid trouble. The friends informed the forest department, and faced police brutality before the forest department staff, firemen, and forest officer Thirunavukkarasukmai rushed to rescue Chandran.
Subhash's friends urged the firemen to go inside as his condition would be known only by going down into the cave but they were afraid to go inside because of the history of the caves. Sixon John, another of the friends, yelled loudly, briefly waking Subhash. After hearing his voice, Kuttan then decided to go inside. With a 50-foot rope and an additional rope tied around his waist, Kuttan slowly climbed down. When the first rope ended, Kuttan turned his torch on but turned it off since he could only see bats. After going down 60 feet, he saw Subhash lying on a rock and shouted up that their friend was alive.
Firefighters rushed in one after the other. Kuttan hugged Subhash tightly to his body and they were slowly pulled up by the firemen. First aid was given to an unconscious Subhash and after almost 5 hours, he was brought back to a conscious state.

## List of Manjummel boys

Note: After the success of the film Manjummel Boys, the friend group became popular by that name.
| Name | Comments | Actors potrayed |
| Subhash Chandran | the victim of the accident | Character played by Sreenath Bhasi |
| Siju David aka Kuttan | the rescuer of Subhash also the eldest person among the boys | Character played by Soubin Shahir |
| Abhilash John | He saw Subhash fall into the pit, became traumatized and disassociated himself from the group for a period. | Character played by Chandu Salim Kumar |
| Sixon John | He worked in a metal manufacturing unit and gained a habit of having a loud voice. Also younger brother of Siju John | Character played by Balu Varghese |
| Krishnakumar M. | While swimming as a kid, he got stuck in a current and was saved by Siju David. | Character played by Ganapathi S. Poduval |
| Prasad P. S. | The driver. He revisited Kodaikanal in 2009 and recalled how the locals still remembered the incident. | Character played by Khalid Rahman |
| Sumesh U. S. | He did not go on the trip, but he helped his friends financially for the return trip from Kodaikanal and for Subhash's treatment. | Character not in the film |
| Sujith U. S. | | Character played by Arun Kurian |
| Anil Joseph | | Character played by Abhiram Radhakrishnan |
| Siju John | | Character played by Lal Jr. |
| Sudheesh | | Character played by Deepak Parambol |
| Jinson | | Character played by Vishnu Reghu |

## Aftermath

Subhash Chandran, Siju David, and their friends were charged with entering a prohibited area and had to pay a fine of ₹2,500. After the incident, the director of a fire safety technology institute in Kerala offered to enroll Kuttan in a free course and sponsor his higher studies. The friend group was withheld in Kodaikanal, and they were only able to safely leave without legal hassles after the intervention of the doctor who treated Chandran.
The Dindigul Collector has spoken about erecting a fence and safety grills at Guna Caves to ensure safety in the future.
It took six months for Subhash Chandran to recover from the incident and he spent sixty days in an ayurvedic hospital.
In 2008, Siju David received a bravery award from President Pratibha Patil.

## Movie depiction

Many directors met with the boys in order make a film based on the incident but they were called off due to high expenses.
In 2023, director Chidambaram met with the group and finalised a project based on this incident under the title Manjummel Boys, and the movie was released in theatres in 2024 and became the highest grossing Malayalam movie ever. The film grossed more than 200 crore at the box office and received praise even in Tamil Nadu.