As an avid reader, I feel survival stories contribute significantly towards infusing positivity among readers, motivating them to face hurdles with courage and tenacity. Out of a varied list, I would pick Jack London’s short story To Build a Fire as my favourite. Set in the perfidious snowclad backdrop of Canada’s Yukon trail, the story narrates the tragic journey of an unnamed protagonist who sets out on an expedition with his dog. Despite being warned by the old man at Sulphur Creek, the protagonist decides to travel through the wilderness of the Yukon, unable to figure out the dangers that lie ahead of him. As he advances towards his destination, his hubris misguides him on several occasions and ultimately leads to his death. Emphasising the theme of man versus nature, the author elucidates man’s limited knowledge about nature and his pride as being superior to it. Had he valued the advice of the old man, he would not have lost his life. Apart from conveying the harsh reality, the author also underlines the popularity of the Klondike Gold Rush back in the 19th century which led to a stampede of prospectors, the majority of whom returned empty-handed. Reading this short story not only apprised me of moral values but also furnished me with precautions one must exercise before venturing into hazardous territories. (Which is your favourite survival story... January 11)

Aayman Anwar Ali

I have two all-time favourite survival stories. Calling Sehmat is one of them. A college-going Kashmiri girl puts her life at stake to take rigorous training and marry a Pakistani army officer to spy on Pakistan at the time of the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971. I also loved the Hollywood movie Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. In the movie, after getting stuck in a video game, four teenagers must complete playing it by using their strengths and weaknesses. But the twist? They have no idea what will happen if they lose all their ‘lives’ and what ‘game over’ means.

Dayita Chakraborty

Life of Pi, based on Yann Martel’s novel and directed by Ang Lee, is a cinematic masterpiece and a superb survival film. It tells the extraordinary tale of Piscine Molitor Patel, aka Pi, a young Indian boy who survives a shipwreck and ends up on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The film combines adventure, spirituality and survival and examines the human spirit in the face of adversity. The cinematography by Claudio Miranda is visually stunning, creating a surreal and beautiful depiction of the Pacific Ocean that adds realism and tension to the film. The audience is allowed to experience Pi’s isolation, desperation and wonderment as he struggles to survive.

Life of Pi has a brilliant narrative that balances the harsh realities of survival with a captivating story. The film uses storytelling as a compelling framing device, with an older Pi (played by the brilliant Irrfan) narrating his tale to a writer. His tale is a spiritual journey, exploring themes of faith, resilience and the human-animal connection. Pi’s survival is not only physical but also emotional and psychological.

Suraj Sharma’s performance as the teen Pi is convincing and moving, eliciting the audience’s empathy and admiration. His character transforms from a curious and introverted young boy to a resilient and spiritually aware man. The relationship between Pi and Richard Parker is complex and deep, revealing the challenges and opportunities of survival, companionship and primal instincts.

Viewers are invited to reflect on the human spirit, the power of faith and hope in the hopeless. It also challenges viewers to think about the meaning of survival beyond mere existence. Life of Pi is a cinematic masterpiece that transcends the survival genre and ranks as one of the most captivating and thought-provoking films of its time.

Camellia Paul

Cast Away (2000) directed by Robert Zemeckis and produced by Tom Hanks is the story of a FedEx troubleshooter and systems analyst called Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks).

On one of his business trips, his plane crashes into the sea and Chuck is the only survivor. Unconscious and adrift, he is washed ashore on an inflatable raft. Then begins the terrific saga of a man pitted against the elements for his survival. Simple things like a dry piece of clothing, getting clean water or catching fish take tremendous effort and creativity. Several FedEx parcels wash ashore and so does the corpse of one of the pilots. After burying the corpse, Chuck realises that rescue is a far cry, given his location. His sole goal is not to die. While building a fire, he cuts his hand and ends up with his blood-stained handprint on a Wilson football. Drawing a face on it, Chuck makes it Wilson, his inseparable companion. Someone he can talk to and one that paradoxically makes him look insane while keeping him from going mad.

Four years pass. Every day is a struggle, but now a bearded and leaner Chuck has learnt the ropes. A portable toilet washes ashore one day and gives him the idea of escape. Chuck notices a ship passing by and is rescued. Back on the mainland, Chuck is welcomed as a hero by FedEx who had given him up for dead. His fiancee Kelly (Helen Hunt) has married and has a son. A tearful reunion later, Chuck reconciles with the fact that she will not be back. In the end, an optimistic Chuck, again marooned and friendless in the big world, must look forward to tomorrow, for you never know “what the tide might bring in”.

Pampa Paul

My favourite survival story is Narayan Gangopadhyay’s Nishijapon which was made into a film by Sandip Ray. A family get-together happens in a house located in a remote hilly region with a friend of the family patriarch also in attendance.

Though the film starts on a happy note with the family members sharing an intimate bond and enjoying leisure to the full, the party gets disrupted following torrential rain and a terrible earthquake. Not only does power get cut off, but even the wooden bridge, acting as the only link between the house and civilisation, gets washed away, resulting in a shortage of food. The resultant physical crisis raises the tempers of many members with the emotional fissures among them (hidden within till now) blatantly getting exposed. If the deluge of bitterness was compelling the patriarch to commit suicide, another member was ready to take an extreme risk to escape from the crisis zone. However, relief arrives in the end and the family is rescued.

Apart from the stupendous screenplay and direction, the film is enriched with excellent acting, thanks to gems like Soumitra Chatterjee, Dipankar De, Sabyasachi Chakraborty and Rituparna Sengupta, to name a few.

Kajal Chatterjee

My favourite survival story is not from a movie or a series, but rather from real-life pop icons, the one and only BTS. Every odd was against them. They received a lot of hate on the Internet because they couldn’t afford designer clothing. They were also at the receiving end of multiple threats during their concerts. Despite multiple obstacles, they have reached unprecedented levels of success and continue to break records to this day (even when all of the members are currently enlisted in the military). Their survival story is remarkable for millions of people all around the world who look up to them for inspiration. They have inspired me to never give up even in the face of arduous challenges and continue to do what I love doing, passionately.

Pallabi Bhadra

The word ‘survival’ reminds me of a poem by James Patrick Kenney called The Cold Within. Discrimination is the root of all problems and that is the crux of the story of the six people in this poem. Their life is the price of their act. This selfish act is the cause of their death. Jack London’s To Build a Fire and The Call of the Wild, are two other survival stories that come to my mind. Though the protagonist can not survive in the story To Build A Fire, there is no doubt that when it comes to surviving out in the frozen wilderness, the dog is vastly superior to his owner. He was advised by the old man from Sulphur Creek not to travel alone in sub-zero temperatures but he ignored it. Nature imposes limitations that human beings cannot conquer. The man gets frostbite and tries desperately to revive his numb body. He continues to fight back and runs to warm himself, but fails and falls asleep and dies.

Life of Pi and Secrets in the Snow are some of my favourite survival films. Life of Pi is about surviving in the ocean with a tiger. Secrets in the Snow (2012) is a film where classmates get stuck in a snowstorm in school. The catastrophe ends up revealing a secret that each student hides.

Moubani Paul

My favourite survival story is the 1997 Hollywood movie The Edge starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin and directed by Lee Tamahori. The suspenseful and gripping story follows a billionaire businessman named Charles Morse and two other men, a photographer Bob Green and his assistant Stephen, who band together to survive after getting stranded when their plane crashes in the uncharted wilds of Alaska. It is an excellent survival movie, full of thrilling moments. Superb performances by Hopkins and Baldwin are a treat to watch.

Sourish Misra