The demonic deluge was partly caused by the torrential rain but the ferocity of flowing water and the opening of the shutters of the three dams that caused unprecedented floods. To add to this the landslides into low lying areas and the sparsely populated forest fringes made it impossible for the rivers like Periyar, Pampa and Aluva puzha to contain the water that overflowed from the banks to human settlements. All watery fronts brought human activity to a standstill. And that turned to helplessness with panic when water levels refused to recede. Man looked helpless amidst the advancing water level and help was sought after from the three Armed forces, the NDRF volunteers who arrived from all corners of the state. Women, Children and old folk were most affected.

Waterlogged Kochi airport, the Cochin sea port and the railway tracks made mobility of services virtually impossible. Then resorting to small boats and the whole hearted cooperation from fishermen made mobility possible to reach out to the people and offer relief materials.

The amiable nature and secular attitude ignoring caste and class was praiseworthy.

It is at this juncture the true camaraderie of the Keralites was noticed when caste and religion took a backseat. They helped and received help with tearful eyes always smiling also swallowed their pride. This attitude must be commended upon because those affected were both rich and the poor. Socio-economic status was sacrificed and a fighting spirit to face the perils came to the forefront. In a way their courage seemed to match the spirit of the armed forces and quickly responded to adjust and help.

Yes, there was the odd incorrect political statement that aid was being sought to be diverted to a particular section of the community in exclusion to the others. However, all this was baseless and the ground reports from the numerous reporters of various news outlets confirmed. At a time when relief operations were at full swing, an undesired wave of slurs was spewed on social media for a state where beef is legally sold and consumed.

 An Indian volunteer collects donations for Kerala flood victims on a street in Mumbai.
Floodwaters receded in Kerala on August 20, leaving Indian rescuers the grim task of retrieving bodies as the death toll from the worst monsoon rains in a century rose above 400.
/ AFP PHOTO / INDRANIL MUKHERJEE

Nevertheless, there was an absolute sense of egalitarianism and fraternity in the operations as young and old, rich and poor, men and women joined in the massive relief and rescue operations. In a trice, community kitchens were opened up, relief material that came in from various parts of the country were distributed and those stranded in high-rise and unreachable buildings were rescued through make-shift boats.  Human ingenuity and compassion knew no bounds.

The impending Onam festival which is celebrated by the three religious populations did standout well in an exemplary manner. Most of them celebrated the festival in relief camps. School and college students were ready to offer relief work at various camps in a united manner. Supplemented their work with cheerful faces during such a tragedy, this also made the victims happy and at peace despite losing personal belongings in the deluge.

The true spirit of Kerala stood out this Onam when Keralites united by standing together and ungrudgingly spared a thought for the suffering victim. A natural disaster has become a cohesive factor to unite to help in cash and kind. Expressing solidarity were Keralites in other states who ensured the festival would be kept low-key. Several food items that were generally exported from the state during the festival understandably  did not sufficiently reach other states.

However, keeping all this in the mind, as the water has receded; the real challenge of rehabilitation has now actually begun.

(The writer works as a Senior Producer with ABP News. He can be reached out at dheerajc@abpnews.in)

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