Amrit Kujur, a resident of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, had begun his journey on a boat along with his friend Divyaranjan on Sept. 28 to sell groceries and potable water to other ships in the Andaman Sea.

The survived man managed to live on rain water which he had soaked in a towel, and at times even drank sea water.

However, his friend died of hunger and dehydration, and he had to throw the dead body in the sea after it had started decomposing.

Only a couple of days after they begun the journey, the duo faced a storm and their boat drifted along till it lasted the fuel. The mast of the ship was badly damaged and the wireless communication failed. Fearing capsize, Kujur and his boat-mate threw their wares into the sea to reduce the weight on the boat, reported the English daily Hindustan Times.

The duo tried hard to seek help and sent out signals to many passing cargo ships along the way, but nobody noticed them. Finally, a foreign ship came to their aid by giving 260 litres of diesel and a compass for determining direction in the sea.

But the duo ran out of luck again as they encountered another storm in the Bay of Bengal and had to anchor midway. The wind proved too strong for the boat and the anchor rope snapped.

The crashing waves dumped hundreds of gallons of seawater into the boat, threatening to sink or flip them. Luckily, the boat did not capsize and drifted around till the fuel was used up, according to the paper.

"With no food and drinking water, Divyaranjan died after a few days and Kujur survived by drinking rainwater that he had soaked up in his towel. At times he was forced to drink sea water," the paper quoted Kujur as telling the police.

Kujur could hardly walk when he reached the shores in the country's eastern state Odisha on Friday. Now, arrangements are being made to send him to his home in the islands south of mainland India.