CHOORALMALA: One year after the devastating landslides that claimed lives and homes in Chooralmala and Mundakkai, the hills remain quiet — broken only by the rustle of tea leaves and the steady footsteps of estate workers. The three plantations in the region — once symbols of calm routine — are slowly rising from the ruins.
At the heart of this quiet resurgence and resilience is Harrisons Malayalam Ltd, which spans 515 hectares and continues to be a lifeline for the community. For many, this is more than just a plantation. It’s survival.
“We lost 43 of our co-workers that day. Counting their family members, the number will climb to 98. Some were family. Some were like family,” says Sidharaj, a veteran plucker who has worked at the estate for over 50 years. “I thought I’d never return to these slopes. But this work feeds my family. I came back for them.”
The landslide of July 30, 2024, killed 290 people across the region, including dozens of Harrison’s workers. The trauma ran so deep that 73 others requested transfers, unable to return to the soil where they had worked and laughed with friends who would never come back now.
“Some of them lost family. Others lost friends. Many couldn’t bear the sight of this place where we once lived together happily,” says Sidharaj.
Even today, as access to the disaster zone remains restricted, plantation workers are among the few allowed in freely — except on red alert days.
For the company, continuing operations post-disaster became a test of both logistics and compassion.
“We didn’t just lose employees — we lost members of our community,” says Shinu P K, the HR executive at Harrisons. “We suffered a production loss of nearly 1,000 tonnes of tea, worth around Rs 13.5 crore, as the landslides wiped out 10 hectares of plantation. However, our first priority was supporting the affected families.
We provided immediate financial assistance, facilitated transfers for those who couldn’t return, and ensured continued employment for survivors. We also offered counselling, aware of the psychological toll on our workers. Each of our dead worker’s families will get an average of Rs 10 lakh of compensation.”
Today, the slopes are green again. To keep the estate functioning and to continue supporting local families, Harrisons brought in about 75 workers from Assam — tea’s ancestral homeland.
“Bringing in Assamese workers wasn’t just a business decision, it was about keeping the estate alive so local families could still depend on it,” Shinu explains. “We lost half our workforce. We had to merge our three divisions into one. Hiring new workers was the only way to survive.” Many of the new recruits, seasoned in estates across India, now call Chooralmala home.
“We were nervous when told we’d be posted in a landslide-hit area,” says Mahibul, 26, from Assam. “But we’re treated well here. The pay is fair and the people are kind. We feel like we belong.”
Shajitha, a Chooralmala native, says her family depends entirely on the plantation for survival. “My house was just outside the landslide-hit area. However, we’ve been stranded here without even basic amenities,” she says. “We received no financial aid from the government. The plantation is our only support system. That job, that routine, kept us going. Without it, we’d have had to leave.”
Across the estate, grief lingers, but so does gratitude. Workers still speak of lost friends and destroyed homes, but also of healing rhythms returning: tea baskets filling, wages coming in, children back at school.
A year ago, the landslides took away everything familiar. Today, as monsoon clouds gather once more above the hills, what stands out is not just what was lost, but what has endured.