Family fulfils mother's last wish: Rajamma’s heart and remains finally laid to rest together

WAYANAD: After a long and emotional struggle, the children of Rajamma, a victim of the Chooralmala landslide, have finally fulfilled her last wish—to be laid to rest in a single grave. Her heart, which was recovered from one burial pit, was placed with the rest of her body in a unified resting place, as her children offered prayers for eternal peace.

Rajamma tragically lost her life in the Chooralmala landslide along with five members of her family. The force of the debris, including rocks and uprooted trees, left their bodies mutilated and scattered. The recovered remains were initially buried in two separate graves at the Puthumala cremation ground.

It was only after a DNA test confirmed that Rajamma's heart had been buried in a different pit from the rest of her body that her son, Anilkumar, began a relentless nine-month effort. He made repeated visits to the Wayanad Collectorate, demanding that his mother be given a dignified and complete burial. DYFI activists also rallied behind Anilkumar, leading authorities to finally grant permission for the reburial.

On Thursday, Rajamma’s remains were respectfully exhumed from the two graves and united in a single burial pit. Fifteen family members, including her sons Anilkumar, Anilesh, and Aneesh, gathered to offer prayers and bid a final farewell.

Rajamma's demand to her children
The memory of Rajamma’s words from 2019, when another landslide had claimed lives in the region, still lingers in Anilkumar’s mind. “If I ever die like that, promise me you’ll bury all of me in one place,” she had told him. Her children were left with no choice but to pray at two separate graves—numbers 34 and 213—until now.

Rajamma’s first death anniversary is on July 30. This time, her children will be able to perform the rites at a single grave, fulfilling both a spiritual and emotional obligation.

"We fulfilled our mother’s wish. Now she can rest in peace, and so can we."
– Anilkumar, son of Rajamma