Sayana is set to be moved from the intensive care unit of Dr. Moopen’s Medical College hospital in just two days, following a major surgery, necessitated by slush entering her internal organs.
It was on August 1 that Sayana regained consciousness and immediately asked about her three sons—three-and-a-half-year-old Ishan, six-year-old Dhyan, and nine-year-old Nivedh. Her mother, Sheeba, assured her that all three boys were safe.
Sayana's husband, Aneesh, who himself was transferred from the ICU to a regular ward on Wednesday, also held on to the belief that their sons were in safe hands with relatives. But, Ishan's body was found on Thursday, Dhyan remained missing, and Nivedh, severely injured, was transferred to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for further surgeries.
"I don't know how I will let her know. She cannot survive this tragedy, I know. Aneesh has suspicions as we are not bringing the kids to the hospital. He keeps asking questions, and I don’t know how to face all this. How long can I hide this grief?" Sheeba tearfully confessed.
The family hails from Chooralmala, a village that was ravaged by devastating landslides in the early hours of July 30. The disaster claimed the lives of over 300 people, with another 300 still missing.
Sayana is an Anganwadi teacher who loves spending time with children, her family says. "Dhyan and Nivedh were studying at Vellarmala Vocational Higher Secondary School, which was close to their house. Ishan was in LKG at Crescent English Medium School in Chooralmala," Sheeba said.
"I am from Chooralmala but later moved to Kalpetta. All my family lives in and around Chooralmala. My daughter and her family lived close to the town, on the banks of the river. That is where the landslide hit the worst. Our lives will never be the same," Sheeba added.
The most painful and heartbreaking sights in the landslide-hit areas have been the deaths of children. TNM met Muhammed, who lost his daughter and two-year-old grandson at Meppadi Juma Masjid. His grandson, Aamil, was found dead in the Mundakkai landslide-hit region. Muhammed has been shuttling between the hospital and relief camps, as his 21-year-old daughter is still missing.
"I wish I had at least gotten to him (Aamil). My wife, his grandmother, hasn't gotten out of bed since the 30th. We only had granddaughters, so we were thrilled to have a grandson when Aamil was born. This grief will never go away," he said.
A Special Armed Police (SAP) officer, whom TNM met at the top of Punchiri Mattam, the epicentre of the landslides, still cannot forget finding a one-year-old child's body in the sludge. "It took almost 18 hours after the incident for us to reach here as Mundakkai and Punchrimattom were completely isolated after the bridge broke. After arriving a day later, the first body I recovered was that of a one-year-old child. The thoughts and pain of that will never leave me. Later, we learned that his entire family had died in the tragedy," he said.
The government has not released separate data on child deaths, but six-year-old Muhammed Rayan, seven-year-old Dhyan, and three-year-old Ambadi are few among the many children listed as dead or missing. They are victims of the biggest tragedy Kerala has ever faced.