MADIKERI: Unable to find daily wage work in Kodagu due to incessant rainfall, a mother from Kodagu left for Wayanad nearly three weeks ago. She took her son along as schools in the district had been ordered shut due to incessant rainfall. However, tragedy struck the poor family like thunder and the mother lost her son in the Meppadi Wayanad tragedy.
Kavitha and Ravi are a couple settled in Kodagu. While Ravi is a native of Tamil Nadu, Kavitha was born and brought up in Kodagu. The couple have two sons and one daughter. Rohith, was their youngest son who was nine years old. He studied at the Government School in Guhya village in Kodagu.
Nearly three weeks ago, Kavitha and Rohith left for Wayanad. “We are daily wagers. As Kodagu was recording heavy rainfall, we were unable to find any job. We have taken several loans and it was inevitable for us to find work,” shared Ravi. He explained that Kavitha’s sisters are settled in Wayanad and one of the sisters’ had found a job for Kavitha. “Since it had become tough to make ends meet, Kavitha took the domestic help job at Kozhikode in Kerala. She was to be paid Rs 20,000 per month,” he explained. Before heading to Kozhikode, Kavitha travelled to Meppadi along with Rohith to visit her sister. She left Rohith at her sister’s place and reported to work in Kozhikode.
“However, Kavitha’s father fell ill and her sister left for Tamil Nadu to nurture him. Rohith was with his uncle and cousin at Meppadi,” explained Ravi. He added that Kavitha and Rohith were to return to Kodagu on Tuesday. However, the couple could not even bring Rohith’s dead body back home. “On Tuesday morning, after I watched the news, I immediately left for Meppadi. When I was in the bus, I received a call from an official from Kerala. When I told her that I was travelling to Kerala in a bus, she asked me to hand over the phone to the bus conductor. After that, I was dropped off at Mananthavady by the bus driver,” he recalled.
At Mananthavady, a car was waiting for Ravi and he was directly taken to the Meppadi landslide spot. Three dead bodies including the dismantled body of Rohith were placed in front of him for identification and that was that. “I touched my son’s body and it had all turned very soft. I could not bring his body back to Kodagu and we conducted his funeral at Meppadi,” he shared. While the couple hoped for a better living after Kavitha found a job as a domestic help with a good salary, everything has turned pale now. The couple has remained inconsolable and shared that no amount of compensation can bring back their son, who they shared was very good in academics.