Brave journey of life

Natural disasters are both unpredictable and unstoppable. Many of them are triggered by human actions themselves. Today marks one year since a landslide wiped out all signs of life across a one-square-kilometre stretch, including Mundakkai and Chooralmala, in Wayanad. A year ago, at dawn on a day like this, vibrant villages like Punchirimattam, Attamala, and Aramala vanished from the map, becoming nothing but memories. Over 298 lives were buried under rocks, mud, slush, and floodwaters, creating a vast field of death. The landslide split the village into two. Survivors waded through sinking mud, crying out the names of the missing and searching amid scenes of devastation. But the months that followed also became a testament to resilience — of relief efforts and rehabilitation missions that reminded us disasters are not just about mourning but also about determined comebacks.

Fire and rescue teams, police, state and central disaster response forces, the Indian Army, paramilitary units, volunteers from across the country, and compassionate citizens joined hands in one of the most extensive rescue operations ever witnessed in India. No thought other than saving human lives crossed anyone’s mind. The state government kept all its official machinery on constant alert — to move survivors and those recovered from the debris to hospitals and safe shelters, and later from relief camps to temporary rehabilitation centres. Aid from across Kerala poured into the hills via a Bailey bridge built by the army, reuniting the lands torn apart by the landslide.

It was a monumental task to redraw the picture of life in the villages devastated by the natural disaster. Temporary classrooms for children whose studies had been disrupted, new school buildings, hospitals, financial aid for those who had lost their livelihoods, compensation for those who lost loved ones, appropriate relief for farmers whose crops were destroyed, monthly assistance for families forced to move into rented houses or relatives’ homes, along with the herculean efforts to build a new township — all of these were undertaken. Added to this were the legal battles with the landowners of the property identified for the township, the indifference of the central government toward the state’s request for a special relief package, and even the denial of aid typically granted to other states in similar situations. Overcoming all these challenges, the state government remained committed to the families affected by the disaster and to society at large — a commitment for which Kerala will remain indebted to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

The government had planned to hand over the keys to the first finished house in the Elston Estate township by the disaster’s first anniversary, but delays arose due to legal disputes and challenges in acquiring the land. Construction is now progressing at full scale to finish the houses as quickly as possible. Natural disasters are not just blows to human life but also lessons we must learn. Let us pledge to curb excessive exploitation and reckless encroachment of nature. As life marches forward with courage, let us continue to hold hands and move ahead together, undeterred by any challenge.