Malayalees are one when disaster strikes
WHEN sorrows come, they come …in battalions (Shakespeare’s Hamlet).
Kerala has undergone a series of disasters during the past few years. Notable among them were the 2017 Ockhi cyclone (toll over 350), the 2018 floods (toll over 400), Puthumala landslide 2019 (toll 17), Kavalappara (Nilambur) landslide 2019 (toll over 40), the floods in 2019 (toll 121), the 2020 Pettimudi (Idukki) landslide (toll 70), the June 2024 Kuwait apartment fire killing 42 people, 24 among them Malayalees, the July 16 Shirur landslide in which a Malayalee driver from Kozhikode and the truck remain untraced, and the latest Tuesday, July 30 massive landslide in Wayanad (toll over 200 and many missing when this text was getting ready for publication).
In all these tragic incidents, people's strenuous participation in extending help, irrespective of caste, religion and political affiliations, is to be highly appreciated.
Malayalees’ kinship and camaraderie in times of crisis are emulative.
A classic example of this is when a man from Kozhikode who was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia for a crime committed 18 years ago was pardoned after thousands of people rallied behind him and managed to do the unthinkable — collect over ₹34 crore in a massive crowd-funding campaign launched to raise the so-called “blood money” to save him from the gallows. Such a gesture happening in any other part of India is just unimaginable.
For the 2018 flood victims’ rehabilitation, an amount of Rs 4,740 crore was collected by way of donations from the public, including charitable organisations, corporate firms, businessmen and famous personalities.
Non-resident Malayalees deserve high admiration for their spirited participation in all the similar fund collection drives.
For the Malayalee victims of the Kuwait fire, UAE-based businessman MA Yusuff Ali has promised cash compensation of approximately Dh 22,000, another Dubai-based businessman Ravi Pillai offered aid of approximately Dh 9,000, Qatar-based businessman J K Menon announced Rs 2 lakh (nearly QR 8,700) and the only association of professional colleges in Kerala - Chamber of Kerala Colleges - offered free education for the children of the deceased.
For the Wayanad victims, business magnates Yusuf Ali, Ravi Pillai and Kalyana Raman have offered Rs 5 crore each. (Only Malayalees’ contributions are listed here).
How prompt people’s response was!
The initial flow of compassion as relief goods such as food items, water, blankets and candles came to Wayanad from neighbouring districts at lightning speed.
Besides, the eyes become moist when one sees hundreds of volunteers working day and night without food and rest in rescue operations.
Also, many came forward to donate blood, and the blood banks were full in no time.
The only time Malayalees stayed apart was during the Covid-19 pandemic. That was not because of any hatred or grudge towards one another, but because they were religiously complying with the social distancing norms. They are also an intelligent lot.
Dear Wayanad, we are with you.
