Wayanad: Two years after one of Kerala’s worst natural disasters wiped out the hill hamlets of Chooralmala and Mundakkai, grief continues to cast a long shadow over the survivors.
Amid memories of unimaginable loss, a quiet story of resilience and renewal is unfolding. The landslide of July 30, 2024, officially claimed 330 lives, including 32 people who were initially reported missing and later declared dead.
Entire settlements vanished under torrents of mud, rocks and floodwaters, leaving hundreds homeless and forever changing the landscape of Wayanad.
Today, survivors gathered at the disaster site and the newly built rehabilitation township to offer prayers, light candles and remember those who never returned.
For many, the pain remains raw. Some never even had the chance to bid a final farewell to their loved ones.
Even now, the sight of dark clouds or the sound of heavy rain sends a chill through those who lived through that terrifying night.
Every downpour revives memories of desperate cries for help and frantic attempts to escape. Yet life has slowly found a way back.
In the government’s rehabilitation township, the laughter of children echoes through streets that did not exist two years ago.
Among them is little Rithu, born after her pregnant mother, Sindhu, narrowly escaped the landslide.
Today, the family’s new home stands as a symbol of hope reclaimed from tragedy.
Similar stories are emerging across the township, where displaced families are gradually rebuilding lives they once believed were lost forever.
Marking the second anniversary, Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra paid tribute to the people of the district in a social media post.
“Two years since the tragedy that devastated the people of Chooralmala and Mundakkai, we pay homage to the bravery and resilience of the people of Wayanad,” she wrote. Pledging continued support for the survivors, she added:
“We renew our pledge to stand by them in the courageous fight to rebuild their lives and provide them with comfort as they carry deep wounds of loss in their hearts,” she said.
As Wayanad pauses to mourn, it also celebrates the extraordinary courage of a community that refused to surrender.
The villages that once stood beneath the hills may have disappeared, but the spirit of their people endures, offering a poignant reminder that while nature can destroy homes in a single night, it cannot extinguish hope.
(IANS)
