It was this adventurous snap (see left photo above) that became the face of last year’s deluge, which devoured Kerala, almost after a gap of a century. It haunted a million heart all over the world and found place in national and international media.

It is the photo of rescue officer Kanaiyya Kumar running through the Cheruthoni bridge holding a three-year old sick child in his arms. On the occasion of the first flood anniversary, Kerala Kaumudi photographer Subhash Kumarapuram captured the photo (below) of that child who came with his father on the Cheruthoni bridge. Sitting conmfortably on his arms, the child tried to recollect that harrowing day in his life. Unfortunately, Kerala is under the threat of another flood.

That child’s name is Sooraj aka Thakkudu, the only son of Vijayaraj and Manju, who are the residents of Puthen Veedu of Karakkattu colony in Idukki.
Sooraj’s house sat on the river bank near the bridge (the location was where JCB is seen parked in the backdrop of the photo below.) In the flood, they lost their house completely.

It was on August 10, last year, that Vijayaraj went to see with his friends the opening of Idukki dam shutters. What he saw when he returned home in that rainy day was his son shivering with high fever and suffering from breathing trouble. He didn’t wait for the rain to subside… carried his child on his shoulder and ran out. When he reached the Cheruthoni bridge, the police said he couldn’t allow him to cross the bridge as the situation was dangerous. When Vijayraj convinced the officer of the condition of the child, he informed the Circle Inspector on the other side of the bridge. Soon, recue officer Kanaiyya Kumar crossed the bridge, took the child in his arms and dashed back, with Vjayaraj in tow. Having reached the other side, they just turned back, only to see the gushing water submerging the entire bridge.

The child was taken in an auto to hospital, where he recovered from his fever within days.

Vijayaraj still remembers a constable who slipped some money into his pocket as he had forgotten to take money in that hurry.

Along with Kanayya and Sooraj, Cheuthoni also became the heroes of the day. Everyone expected Cheruthoni bridge to collapse in the strong current of flood water that pounded the brdige.

But that brdige, built during the British rule in India, survived all those bad times, emerging as the symbol of post-flood survival. Incidentally, the government had done some maintenance work on it.