THE calamity in Wayanad, the most devastating landslides in Kerala's history, is not just a wakeup call it is a death-knell, one that had long been tolling.
Yet instead of introspecting, learning from our mistakes and ensuring we never again repeat them, we in India focus on immediate relief (which Kerala does well), then on rehabilitation (which Kerala does less well), and then lapse into business-as-usual.
This failure to rise above our political inertia prevents us from safeguarding our future from more such cataclysms.
On Saturday, August 3, I made an emotionally searing visit to Wayanad and assisted in the distribution of relief supplies gathered by the MP office in Thiruvananthapuram. Picking my way through the rubble to view the destruction in Mundakkai, Chooralmala and Punchiri Mattam, I beheld JCBS rumbling where, till five days ago, lavishly verdant, hilly and scenic villages had sprawled beneath great blue skies. I saw the fortunate in a relief camp.
At a hospital suffused with the anguish of those whose homes and dreams were pulverised by a bombardment of rocks and boulders in the early hours of July 30, I met a young survivor who had endured unimaginable horrors. At eight years of age, she had lost her father, mother, brother, sister, grandfather and grandmother, and sustained numerous injuries, from broken bones to a heavily bruised face. As I watched her propped up in bed, immersed in her colouring book, desolation gripped me. After all, we should have been able to prevent what she had endured.
Bu hikaye The New Indian Express dergisinin August 09, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye The New Indian Express dergisinin August 09, 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
DEVINE ACT: SOPHIE.TAHUHU STUN INDIA
White Ferns captain cracks unbeaten half-century before pacer runs riot to hand Harmanpreet Co a 58-run defeat on Friday
All hail Omaima Sohail, Pakistan's bowling lodestar
OMAIMA Sohail loves to bowl.
Jeevika stuns Bhakti in national chess meet
THE second round of the National Women Chess Championship, which is being held at Chettinadu Public School, Managiri (Karaikudi), saw lesser-fancied players pulling off some big moves.
ISL 2024: Borja strikes late to rescue FC Goa
NORTHEAST United FC shared the spoils with FC Goa in a scintillating 3-3 draw in the Indian Super League at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here.
Irani Cup: Spinners put Mumbai in command
SEASONED spin duo of Shams Mulani and Tanush Kotian became catalysts of Rest of India's sudden middle-order collapse that saw them lose six wickets for only 23 runs here Friday, putting Mumbai within sniffing distance of an Irani Cup triumph despite Abhimanyu Easwaran's heroic 191.
HIL set to return after seven years
THE much-awaited Hockey India League (HIL) will return after seven long years in a new avatar, where both the men's and women's teams will participate in the event beginning December 28.
Telcos asked to act against spammers
THE Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Friday issued a warning to telecom service providers, urging them to step up their efforts against spammers.
IT sector bounces back with 18% YoY growth in hiring in September
FROM the sluggish pace of hiring, the IT sector has bounced back strongly in September as there was an 18% year-on-year (YoY) growth in hiring.
iPhone 16 series to be made in India
WEEKS after launching its iPhone 16 series, Apple announced that it will manufacture its entire iPhone 16 lineup, including premium devices, in the country.
Luxury carmaker BMW calls for green tax to boost net zero efforts
AMID talks about increasing GST on electric vehicles - all EVs including luxe ones currently attract a flat 5% - the country's largest luxury EV car-maker BMW has called for a green tax/GST, which typically levies lesser tax on a product that's greener than others.