THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Standing with their fellow Keralites who lost everything in the twin landslides in Wayanad last week, residents of Malayinkeezhu have banded together to provide them a roof over their head.
Faced with logistical challenges in taking relief materials to Wayanad, the district administration and local bodies in Thiruvananthapuram began looking for alternative ways to help the victims. ‘Snehathanal’, a project by Malayinkeezhu grama panchayat, was one of the results. Under it, the panchayat residents are making space available in their own homes for the landslide victims. At present, 12 houses have been made available to house the affected persons temporarily.
“Since transporting relief goods to Wayanad is not feasible logistically or financially, we had been seeking alternative ways to help the victims,” District Collector Anu Kumari told TNIE. Malayinkeezhu panchayat president Vasudevan Nair said people voluntarily offered space in their homes to accommodate those affected by the landslide. “At present, accommodation is available in 12 houses. More families have expressed willingness to help,” he said.
One such family, Shelly and Asha, welcomed Aslam Thikodi, Saleena Thikodi and their daughter Amna Sherin, to their home five days ago. Aslam and family hail from Mavoor, located on the Kozhikode-Wayanad border, which also felt the effects of the disaster in Wayanad.
“Last week, Amna called me saying there was no electricity at home due to the heavy rain. There was no food too. Initially, I didn’t realise the severity of the situation. However, later, my husband and I couldn’t find the way to our house, even after searching for two hours. Everything was under water. We climbed a hill and finally located our house only to find it uninhabitable,” said Saleena, adding, “If there is heavy rain, chances are the houses above would fall and land on ours,” said Saleena.
While looking for assistance, Saleena came across Shelly’s post about the Snehathanal project in a WhatsApp group they were in. They had met once before, at an event in Kumarakom where Shelly, a writer, had given Saleena her book ‘Kaviyalla Njan’ following a conversation. Saleena contacted him on number mentioned in the book. Shelly immediately agreed to help her. The family travelled to Thiruvananthapuram.
“Despite our limited acquaintance, Shelly’s hospitality turned their home into a safe space for us,” Saleena said. Aslam and Saleena are planning to return to Mavoor in a few days to take stock of the situation there. Meanwhile, Amna will continue her studies at Malayinkeezhu school with Shelly and Asha’s daughter Vaiga, a Class X student. Amna is now friends with Vaiga. At Mavoor, she got fewer opportunities to interact with friends and is comfortable here.
Aslam is a duffmuttu and mappila song artist, while Saleena is a multi-disciplinary art instructor. They travel to different places to teach students. Saleena said they are now looking for jobs in the capital. “We are artists, and there is space to think and create here (Thiruvananthapuram). Coming here was a good decision. This will be the best place for us until we return,” Saleena said.