KOCHI:It was an emotional but satisfying moments for the ex-students of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Ernakulam, who had taken efforts to source funds for the handloom weavers of Chendamangalam, Paravoor.The money was collected from their friends across the globe in a short span of two weeks.
Last week, exactly a month after the distressing deluge that resulted in extensive damages to the looms, a few of the members of the Kendriya Vidyalaya Ernakulam Alumni Association (KVEA) handed over the fund to both the Paravur Handloom Weaver’s Co-operative Society No. 3484 and three families of weavers for purchase of yarn and repairing their looms, respectively, by visiting them and listening to their haunting experiences.
“No sooner than we received information from one of our senior members, we visited the society and the houses of affected families,” said Preethi Sadasivan, president, KVEA.“The first sights of damage and the stories of how they escaped the deluge choked us. An appeal for help was quickly responded to by our members and their friends. We would be happy to see them get back their livelihood while continuing to provide for the cause as and when funds are received. Our target as of now is about 12 families of weavers who can get back their livelihood. We thank each of our alumni members who helped for the cause,” said Preethi. “The joy of giving is boundless. It sure was a mixed bag of emotions when we visited them. We are happy to see a smile on their faces, and we hope our efforts will help them forget their moments of despair for a while.” Said Biju Roy, Secretary, KVEA.”
The association was also involved in assisting the 350-odd relief campers at K.V Ernakulam and also coordinated in arranging food and relief supplies to affected areas, soon after the deluge in August.