“When we have people like this, nobody can defeat us,” were the words of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan as he spoke about the chief priest of a temple donating the earring that he was wearing to the Chief Minister's distress relief fund. With the state of Kerala yet again hit by a disaster exactly a year after the state’s worst deluge in 2018, stories of human kindness and resilience have emerged from across the state.
From Noushad, a footpath clothes vendor in Ernakulam, who gave away his clothes to a relief camp for free to Linu, a Seva Bharathi worker from Kozhikode who lost his life during rescue operations on August 10, the state has witnessed several such stories where people have come out in support for those suffering due to the calamity.
And the Kerala Chief Minister on Thursday evening took to Facebook to express his gratitude to the people from all walks of life who have come forward to offer their help to the state during the period of distress. “There are people who are donating their entire month's salary to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF), then there are people who are donating the money that were kept aside for their son’s wedding, children who are donating their pocket money savings. We are experiencing the determination from the people to strengthen the distress relief fund,” said Pinarayi Vijayan.
The Chief Minister also went on to narrate an incident that took place in the Malappuram district on Thursday. “When the relief workers approached the house of Srinath Namboothiri, who is the chief priest of the Thirumandhamkunnu temple in Angadipuram, for collection of relief funds, he had immediately removed the earring that he was wearing and gave it to the workers,” said Pinarayi Vijayan, who went on to ask who can possibly defeat the state when there are people like the temple priest in the state.
Meanwhile, Ramesh Chennithala, the opposition leader in the state has donated his one month’s salary to the CMDRF. In a statement by the opposition leader on Thursday, it was stated that he had handed over a cheque of Rs 90,437 to the Chief Minister’s office. On the other hand, James Mathew, CPIM MLA of Taliparamba had donated Rs 5 lakhs which were kept aside for his son’s wedding the relief fund.