Drowned and Drowned Everything They Owned!

Kerala witnessed rather underwent an inundation, the most destructive, the most devastating, the most upsetting and the most distressing-  the superlatives of all the pessimistic adjectives are apposite here. Kerala is a beautiful princess who bags admiration a lot from abroad, as her structure is adorned with a lush green land full of green pastures, chilly hills and silvery rivers. Umbrella-like coconuts, swaying plants, undulating fields, smiling blooms are also her cosmetics and costumes for her performance in the beauty contest. The wind, carrying deodorants supplied by scented blossoms, takes slow and fast dancing steps. His soft steps fall in accordance with the tunes being hummed by bees and birds.  Sahyadri(the Western Ghats) stands as the sentry picketing the east and north and Arabian sea and Indian ocean enter into a union to guard her in south and west And her beauty catches always the sight of tourists from far and wide.  

Alas!  In this August, Nature envied and tried to mutilate her by the unremitting rains, outpouring all the water in stock, giving shape to floods and torrents resulting in landslides of a large mass. The floods and landslides together smothered her. Alas! Many an inhabitant got drowned and thereby its inhales and exhales came to an end. The torrents claimed human lives abundant, flowed animals aplenty, uprooted plants and trees numberless and ruined dwellings in myriads. Shrieks and screams and yells and yelps filled the atmosphere. As a whole a sort of sadness-sodden interjections resonated everywhere and such a condition persisted at least for a fortnight. Every night those days’ people went to bed fearing the nightmare of attack from the monstrous flood.

Numerous people irrespective of their age, sex or position fell as prey into the hands of flood and therefore they chose to move to rescue camps. Each and every person was tantamount to all others, since the snobbishness of have’s, high positions, forward castes, fair looks, physical health etc vanished solely from the camp areas.  People with dotages were also inmates of the camp. Physically challenged ones, accident victims, tiny kids, pregnant females and even healthy youths were not spared.  Rivers were overflowing and cadavers of man, animals, birds and even vegetations were swept away by the water current. 

As per official record, more than four hundred fifty people bade adieu to their breath and many more that have not loomed in the record. A good number of people had to part with their luxuriant lives in cozy comforts. Within a day people’s belongings including palatial mansions with their pretty interiors, expensive vehicles etc sank in water or were masked by landslides. The torrents have pauperized a large number of people destroying their hard-earned properties.

 The area, a kilometer away from our home, was invaded by water followed by a critical devastation. Upon His grace, we were left untouched, even though we had kept the most essential items packed to leave for the aboriginal place.

Such a catastrophe made people fall in under the flag of help and philanthropy. Here the victims could eye and experience the pinnacles of clemency from their saviors.   Youths and middle-aged men, forgetting their safety, leapt out of their comfort to aid the sufferers with transportation, clothes and food items. Virtues and goodness had developed wings to fly to the prey of flood. They were carrying people away to a safe area on their shoulders and in boats. Even vast wares became buoyant articles to keep the beings afloat from drowning. Some people laid their own live body in the water to be steps for aged people to get into the boats.  The fisherfolk undid all their water vehicles and used them to sail and navigate a large number of affected lives to rescue shelters. They deserve a big salute more than all others.

 The Defense Forces were always on the alert to render any sort of hand to the needy. Their airlifting craft helped those, who got stranded on terraces including ailing ones and even an expectant lady in an advanced stage. She gave birth to a healthy child within an hour of her escape.  Women were second to none in utilizing their ‘self’ for rendering aids. They gathered food, clothes and cash from good-willed minds.  Aids from all corners rushed to the rescue camps. Sympathetic people with empathetic mind lavishly had contributed to the redress activity for the flood victims. Still, a few people had totally lost their hope, as their life’s savings were fully stolen by the torrents. They sought not to live further and thence marched to the suicide spot.

 A unity in diversity was felt all over. Prayerful eyes were lifted to the God and God reciprocated by taking incarnations through altruistic souls to compensate the Nature’s misdeed.  Kudos to all of them. This has turned out to be an unforgettable eye-opening event that might have taught lessons several to the proud and impertinent.

 

              (Google picture)