KOLLAM: Devanandha’s father Pradeep Kumar’s excitement to see his daughter after a year during the vacation ended in total despair. Devanandha D (Ponnu), who went missing at Elavoor on Thursday morning, was found dead in the Ithikkara river tributary near her house on Friday.“She used to call me daily and ask when I would be coming to see her and her little brother. I used to reply that we would meet soon,” said Pradeep Kumar. “I was shocked when I heard that she had gone missing but kept my hopes high till the last moment. I thought I would not lose my daughter,” he said.
The couple was blessed with a girl child after a long wait of five years. They never knew that their happiness would last only for a few years. People in the neighbourhood and relatives remember Devanandha as an active and enthusiastic child. “On a fateful day, she was very excited about her school anniversary function and her dance performance,” said Sarojini Amma, 75, a relative.
“You ask her to sing a song or perform a dance, Ponnu would do it for you the next moment,” said Karthik, a cousin. Dhanya, who was expecting her second child, had moved to her maternal home at Elavoor six months ago along with Devanandha. After the delivery, the three were supposed to return home at Kudavattoor after the temple festival, said Geetha, her neighbour. “Though we spent just six months with her, Ponnu was everyone’s darling in the locality,” she said.