THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : “He told me he would come back home by 4pm. See how he returned.” Melhi’s words pierced through the air at her home at Marayamuttom in Neyyattinkara on Monday. The hundreds of people who had gathered at the house to bid farewell to her son, sanitation worker N Joy, could do nothing to console her.
For three days, Melhi had clung to the hope that Joy would return. As the NDRF team and scuba divers of the fire force worked relentlessly to locate Joy, Melhi continuously prayed for his safe return. All her hopes were dashed when Joy’s body was found in the canal behind Sree Chitra Home at Thakarapparambu on Monday. The residents initially tried to keep the news from her. She was at the church near her house when she learnt about his passing. The news broke her. She had lost her son, her sole support in life. After autopsy at the Thiruvananthapuram MCH, Joy’s body was brought home around 4 pm. Sitting by the lifeless body, Melhi could not hold back her tears.
“I had hoped he would return despite the rain. I thought he will find a safe spot. He was a good swimmer. If he hadn’t got stuck in the garbage, he would have come back,” she said.
Mayor Arya Rajendran, who visited the house, held Melhi close. Arya and Parassala MLA C K Hareendran assured Melhi of all support. Given the state of Joy’s body, only a few close relatives were allowed to see the mortal remains before he was laid to rest near his brother’s house.