When Madhyamam carried a news item about a rare compassionate woman who volunteered to breastfeed babies cut off from their mothers in the landslide that hit Mundakkai in Kerala, noted sports journalist Dr Mohammed Ashraf, translated it into German, which prompted his neighbour in Germany to ask in absolute wonderment whether there were such people on this earth. The answer is Yes, and they are called Malayalis.
Keralites have astounded the world like this earlier too. When there were train accidents in Peruman and Kadalundi, when the Tsunami hit Kerala's coast, when floodwaters tore the entire country apart when a plane crashed in Karipur, when there were landslides in Amboori, Kavalapara and Puthumala, when funds in crores had to be raised for the release of the expatriate who was caught in jail in a foreign country... the love and care shown by the Malayali community in all those cases probably has no parallels in the history of India.
When there was an earthquake in Maharashtra's Latur and Gujarat's Bhuj, when floods raged in Bihar and Assam, there were volunteers who rushed from Kerala to help. When similar altruistic souls rehabilitated the lands burnt by communal hatred and the backward villages crushed by poverty, they never set limits or geographical boundaries for their helping hand. For they were always lavish in their acts of kindness and charity.
Even in the darkness created by the Mundakkai-Chooralmala disaster, we see people shining like stars. Examples of them are legion: the soldiers of the country fighting tirelessly on the path of mercy to pave the way for the rescue operation by building a Bailey bridge on a war footing, the forest department officials coming down the mountain with the scared babies on their chests, the firemen carefully rescuing the legless puppy from the ruins of the collapsed house to a safe place, and the local people who scooped up dismembered bodies from the river, the women volunteers who assisted in post-mortem and cremation, youth organization workers collecting food, clothes and medicines in many corners of the country, traders who gave clothes and blankets kept for sale to warm the victims, children who donate money collected in their piggy bank boxes for relief work, the elderly who dole out money from their pensions. That is where the real face of the Keralite shines.
Almost all the political and social organizations of the state expressed their sympathies to the victims. Their volunteer groups and workers of religious organizations who believe that serving their fellow sufferers is the worship of God have been rendering service in the disaster-hit area since the early hours. Excepting those who work on a hypothesis that this tragedy is 'nature's revenge' on the people of Kerala for rejecting a political party working on a communal hatred agenda, it is believed that the entire nation's conscience is with Kerala in this difficult time. Disaster relief and rehabilitation is the responsibility of the government, but in a country like India, it is not a task that can be accomplished in a flawless manner by the government alone.
Only when the government, non-governmental organizations and voluntary and charitable bodies work together can we heal the wounds in the minds and bodies of the remaining people of the land that has been swept away from the face of the earth and rebuild their lives? They have to build houses, create employment opportunities, build schools and health care centres in a safe and disaster-free land... and restore the country's stalled pulse. The government has still not been able to bring to reality the guaranteed plots for those who lost their homes in Kavalapara and Puthumala, where landslides occurred earlier.
Apart from Wayanad, aid should also reach areas like Vilangad which have suffered heavy damage. This is the time to offer succour to such people including those lives trapped in red tape. Many people, from ordinary Keralites to business magnates, and film and sports stars, are coming forward to help the victims. Bu an enormous responsibility lies ahead to harness these resources and bring fellow human beings back to life as quickly and transparently as possible.
Madhyamam respectfully holds close to its chest all those men and women who have lifted their brethren lying underground or deep in the river, and who continue rescue and relief work without knowing what rest means, ever since the moment of the disaster struck. Many who could not reach there physically were standing by them with their hearts and deep prayers. Angels on earth who amaze the world with love, angels in heaven may be turning envious of you. May peace and safety be with each of you! Let not this glow of virtue vanish!