Diplo‘s always had interesting stories about his experiences in both India and Pakistan. But the Major Lazer co-founder recently revealed during a Q&A at The Oxford Union, Oxford University’s prestigious debating society, how he nearly drowned in the river Ganga 20 years ago when he visited India.
Talking about travelling to India from the US, while also working with the Red Cross as part of the earthquake relief in Gujarat, he reveals travelling to Rishikesh with his friend Brent, who suggested that they should swim in Ganga. What happened next was totally unexpected for Diplo:
Right when I got into the water I was sucked down like 20-feet. [It was] Complete pitch black darkness, I couldn’t see anything, I for sure knew I was dying… I remember swimming and choking to death in the water and I remember seeing a little girl pointing at me from the riverside screaming that there’s a dead guy in the water.
I managed to grab a rock with all the energy that I had, and 40 minutes later this boat with two Indian guys came and rescued me. That’s when I decided I had to get rid of Brent. He was crazy.
Check out the full Q&A here below.