The Relief Goes On! #KeralaFloods - Post 1 - #MyFriendAlexa

HELP REHABILITATE KERALA

The floods in Kerala have abated, the relief and rehabilitation work is going on in full swing as people try to put their lives back together once again. Houses have been washed away, possessions lost and the future grim. However, there is a wonderful wave that is flowing across the state, a wave of volunteers from all walks of life, an ocean of workers who are ready to do all they can to assuage suffering. These volunteers have dropped whatever they were doing and have rushed in, often where angels fear to tread.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the Thrissur Indoor Stadium where a massive movement is taking place. My husband and I wanted to do our bit to offer aid. We have a couple of empathetic friends from across the country, who also wanted to donate, but were determined that the money should reach the right people. 

Hence, we made our way to the margin free shop and picked up twenty household kits which consisted of all essential items, from rice to matchboxes and drove to the Indoor Stadium. Even from outside, we could see a bustle of activity, as sacks of goods were being thrown down to waiting volunteers, who then lugged the heavy loads into the interior, shouting out, “Make way!”

A group of volunteers sat outside in a row, taking down the details of the donors and their donations, along with names and phone numbers. Hordes of people milled around. As we walked into the stadium, the energy within was electrifying. A gargantuan quantity of relief material lay strewn around - onions, potatoes, rice and pulses, cleaning materials, clothes, biscuits and the like. Ladies sprawled on the ground sorting out onions, even as others packed items into specific kits so that every kit would hold the same number of items. The kits we had donated were also dismembered and dovetailed into the standard kit.

Even as we looked on, the Minister for Agriculture, Mr. VS Sunil Kumar made his way into the stadium and was shown the amazing work being done by all. It was obvious that he was a regular visitor and knew his way around.

More and more trucks arrived and the pace picked up with more items being cart loaded to the venue. Suddenly, the volunteers formed lines and began throwing the smaller packets at each other in a regular rhythmic movement. It was a treat to watch as they continued this action, until all the boxes had reached their destination.

There were even a few young boys and girls who were doing their bit, much akin to the little squirrel in the Ramayana who helped to carry tiny stones to help the Vanara Sena in their bridge building. That’s how he got his stripes, it is believed.

Where were all these men and women from? Were they students? Did they have regular nine to five jobs? Were they housewives who had finished their chores and come here? Were they part of the unemployed army?

Whoever they were, there was one common refrain running through all their minds. They had come here to offer their time and their energy to help those in need. The television programmes that had broadcast the devastation across Kerala, and the heart-wrenching stories told by the anguish in the eyes of those who had suffered mammoth losses, had moved myriad hearts. A whole section of the people in Kerala had been galvanized and here they were, doing their bit to assuage the suffering.

As we gazed, silently, at the entire machinery that worked in unison, in perfect rhythm, our hearts were full. The whole country had come together in a crisis in the south of India, and given of themselves. Donations were still pouring into the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, and once the relief ended, the rehabilitation efforts would begin. That was where the money had to be pumped in, to ensure that the common man, who had lost his entire life savings in one fell swoop, had a ray of hope to look forward to. 

For it is impossible to even envisage how a family feels when it watches every brick, every possession and every hope wash away in the throes of Nature’s fury. It is to be hoped no one ever be in that position ever again. For that, we must all strive, we must co-operate as a state, as a nation, and as citizens of a common world.

Kerala needs all of your help. For those of you who would like to donate, here's how you can do so under five minutes.

Thank you so much, dear friends, for your patient reading. 
Let's make Kerala 'God's Own Country' all over again. 

Author's Note: I am taking my Alexa rank to the next level with Blogchatter. Do go through my posts and do feel free to let me know how you feel. Thank you. #DeepTiesWrites