Where Missing Stories Resurface:
Ashu Malik’s world exists beneath the surface of Punjab’s canals, where countless untold stories remain hidden. A professional diver for 33 years, Malik has dedicated his life to recovering missing people and bodies, helping families find closure and returning valuable belongings to the police and relatives. His work has taken him through dangerous waters, crime scenes, suicides, accidents and deeply disturbing cases involving children. In his conversation on The Rishika Show, he speaks about the risks divers face, the limits of technology, the struggles of young people, the importance of family support and the urgent need for authorities to pay greater attention to what lies beneath the canals.
Body: A Life Spent Where Others Fear to Go:
For most people, a canal is simply a stretch of flowing water. For Ashu Malik, it is a world of unanswered questions.
For the past 33 years, Malik has entered these waters not in search of wealth or recognition, but with what he repeatedly describes as a seva bhaav, a spirit of service. His purpose is simple but emotionally demanding: to help families find those who disappeared and, whenever possible, give them the chance to perform a final farewell.
Over the years, he says he has personally recovered more than 10,000 bodies, while the wider network of divers associated with him has recovered more than 65,000. Behind those numbers are people whose families’ spent days, months or even years waiting for answers. Some bodies carry the smallest clues, a ring, watch, tattoo, mobile phone, wallet, thread or piece of clothing. For Malik and his team, even the smallest object can become the key to restoring someone’s identity.
Their efforts continue beyond the process of healing. Malik shares that they utilize social media to disseminate information and attempt to identify the deceased prior to transferring the case to law enforcement and medical facilities. Significant personal items discovered with deceased individuals are likewise surrendered to the authorities or relatives. He remembers retrieving everything from tiny sums of cash to items valued in lakhs.
But the water also hides darker stories. Malik speaks about murder victims, missing children, sexual violence, old rivalries and bodies deliberately disposed of in canals. Such cases, he says, reveal a disturbing reality that often remains outside the spotlight.
However, the threat is not confined to what is beneath the surface. Divers encounter venomous snakes, offenders on canal paths, and the ongoing danger of road mishaps while journeying to rescue locations. Yet, they persist since a family might be waiting for them somewhere.
Malik also disputes the notion that solely impoverished individuals find themselves in these circumstances. Based on his experience, numerous victims originate from financially secure households. He links multiple issues to debt, relationship troubles, harassment, family disputes, and the unexpressed burdens young people bear. His message to young people is clear: fight against life instead of giving in to it. Challenges, no matter how daunting, warrant another effort for resolution.
Perhaps the strongest point emerging from his conversation is that technology cannot replace human experience. Cameras, machines and modern equipment have their place, but Malik believes there are situations where experience, instinct and the knowledge of people who have spent decades around water remain equally important.
For Ashu Malik, diving is therefore more than entering dangerous water. It is about entering the grief of strangers, and trying to bring someone back home.
References/ Sources:
- Primary Source: Rishika Show — Interview with Ashu Malik.
- YouTube: Rishika Show — Ashu Malik interview/video.
- Author/ Writer: AARCHI VERMA