Playing ludo on his phone, bathing in natural water, the taste of puffed rice and cardamom seeds — the long hours spent inside the Uttarkashi tunnel have left an indelible mark on 32-year-old Chamra Oraon, a resident of Jharkhand's Khunti district, who was rescued on Tuesday night.

Speaking to The Indian Express while being taken to the hospital, Oraon said the smell of fresh air felt like a new lease of life. The credit for saving him, he said, goes to the rescuers who worked tirelessly for 17 days, and to the almighty.

'Johar (greetings)! Hum achhe hain (I am good). We believed in God and that gave us strength. We also believed that since 41 people are trapped, somebody would rescue us. I can't wait to speak to my wife,' said Oraon, who has three children waiting for him in Khunti.

Oraon said he earns Rs 18,000 a month, and only 'time will tell' whether or not he returns. Fifteen workers from the state — the largest contingent — were among the 41 trapped men.

Oraon recalled that he was working in the early hours of November 12 when he heard a loud thud and saw debris falling. 'I ran for my life but got stuck on the wrong side. As it became clear we would be there for a long time, we grew restless, hungry. But we prayed silently for help. I never lost hope,' he said.

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Oraon said that around 24 hours later, the authorities sent puffed rice and cardamom seeds. 'When we ate the first morsel, we felt someone above had reached out to us; we were overjoyed. We were assured we would be rescued, but needed to pass the time. So we immersed ourselves in ludo on the phone, which we could charge with the supply provided to us, though we couldn't call anyone since there was no network. We spoke among ourselves and got to know each other,' he said.