KOLLAM: It was not a usual Saturday morning at Thevalakkara Boys High School. The air was heavy with grief as the body of 13-year-old Midhun was brought to the school premises, where he once dreamed of a brighter future for public viewing.
His classmates, teachers, local residents, and public representatives gathered in solemn silence. Faces bore the weight of a loss too deep for words, as the community came together to bid a final goodbye to a child taken too soon.
According to Valiyapadam East panchayat member T Sivarajan, the funeral was scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday.
“We all hoped to see him succeed. He was a lovely boy who dreamt of becoming an army officer. Now, that dream has been cut short,” Sivarajan said. “We are filled with tears and hopelessness. It's hard to imagine how the family—or the village—will overcome this loss.”
Just hours earlier, Midhun’s mother, Suja, had landed at Nedumbassery Airport from Kuwait. Waiting to receive her were her sister and younger son. The moment she stepped out of the terminal, clutching her younger child close, Suja collapsed in grief.
She had left for Kuwait just four months ago, compelled by mounting debts and the foreclosure of their home and land. With hope in her heart, she took up work as a domestic helper, determined to build a better future for her children. But the life she was trying to rebuild shattered with a single phone call. While on vacation in Turkey with her employer’s family, Suja received the devastating news through a late-night video call on Thursday.
She rushed back to Kerala and made the heartbreaking journey to her village in Kollam. There, in the very place where her son once dreamed of a better future, she was met with silence—his lifeless body lying still.
Midhun died on Thursday morning after coming into contact with a low-hanging power line. The incident occurred around 8:30 a.m., just half an hour before classes were to begin. He was playing with friends when his slipper fell onto the roof of the school’s cycle shed. While trying to retrieve it, he accidentally touched an overhead electric line. Though rushed to the government hospital, he succumbed to his injuries.
