Saturday, 23 June 2018. The 32-degree-Celsius air in Mae Sai, Thailand’s northernmost town, was like a hot damp towel wrapped around the Moo Pa (Wild Boars) soccer team, but they cycled to the pitch anyway—they always did.
If head coach Nopparat Khantha vong was the team’s general, assistant coach Ekapol Chantawong—‘Ek’—was his friendly lieutenant. With his smiling eyes and chirpy voice, at age 25 he was more like a big brother to the kids. Having spent much of his childhood in a monastery, as many underprivileged boys in Southeast Asia do, Ek had learned Buddhist discipline, meditation, and kindness.
Ek often took his players to Tham Luang cave at the base of Doi Nang Nonmountain after practice. A half-hour bike ride away, it was a refuge from the heat and—especially appealing to Ek—the cell signals upon which the boys were hooked. So at noon, the group headed there. It was the first time for Peerapat Sompiangjai, nicknamed, as many Thais are, with a shorter name: ‘Night’. He planned to be home by 5 p.m. for his 17th-birthday celebration.
Entering the cave they passed a sign that read, in Thai and English, “DANGER!! FROM JULY TO NOVEMBER THE CAVE CAN FLOOD”. Coach Ek, who led the way, wasn’t worried; it was still June and the monsoon rains that would flood the cave’s channels hadn’t started yet. Behind him were Night; 15-year-olds Note, Nick, and Tee; Bew, Adul, and Tern, all age 14; and 13-year olds Dom, Pong, Mark, and Mix. Giggling among them was the littlest guy, ironically nicknamed Titan, age 11. With Ek, they were 13 in all.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 2021 من Reader's Digest India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 2021 من Reader's Digest India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
From the King's Table to Street Food: A Food History of Delhi
Pushpesh Pant, one of India’s pre-eminent food writers, is back with a comprehensive food history of the capital.
Who Wants Coffee?
It’s bitter—but beloved around the world
Prevent The Pain Of Shingles
You don't have to suffer, as long as you take two important steps
The Best And Worst Diets For Your Heart
Dozens of diets are touted as ‘best’, but it’s easy to lose track of the fact that healthy eating needs to be about overall wellness, not just weight loss.
ME & MY SHELF
Journalist Sopan Joshi has worked in a science and environment framework for nearly three decades. His book Mangifera indica: A Biography of the Mango (Aleph Book Company) synthesizes the sensory appeal of India's favourite fruit with its elaborate cultural roots and natural history. He writes in English and Hindi.
SWITCHED
In 1962, nurses at a small Canadian hospital sent home two women with the wrong babies. Then, 50 years later, their children discovered the shocking mistake.
ECHOES OF THE PAST
A VISIT TO THE ANCIENT BARABAR CAVES IN BIHAR REVEALS A SURPRISING CONNECTION TO A LITERARY CLASSIC
Fathers of the Bride
A young woman finds a unique way to honour the many men who helped her survive her childhood
Fiction's Foresight
British-Bangladeshi author Manzu Islam's works reveal startling parallels to recent political upheavals in Bangladesh, begging the question: Besides helping us make sense of our world, can stories also offer a glimpse into the future?
It Happens ONLY IN INDIA
The Divine Defence Picture this: A tractor in Rajasthan‘s Banswara district,a group of loan agents closing in to seize it and the defaulting farmer and his family standing by.
