Kerala Floods ~ Positive Stories ~ Do For Kerala : Blog # 335

Kerala Floods ~ Positive Stories ~ Do For Kerala 

I am one of those unfortunate few who is not in Kerala to help my people in their hour of need. Far away from home, I am glued to news channels and social media channels to understand what is happening in my state which is affected by the devastating floods.

There are some people sharing stories on Social media which spreads hatred and negativity. In this time of distress, what we need is a bit of motivation to go the extra mile. 

Every once in a while, pops up a positive story that brings tears to my eyes and warms my heart. Those are stories where humanity shines through. Stories where people are at their best helping fellow humans and animals in need. 

Here is a compilation of all the stories I came across so far. Will keep updating this as and when I get new stories. Please let me know in comments the stories that you know of, so that they can be added too.

These tales of divine humanity will help us sail through these difficult times. I hope these stories will also help move some more hearts so that they would also contribute towards helping people.

But first things first, kindly contribute towards helping those affected by floods here: Kerala Chief Minister's Relief Fund

Let us spare a thought for those who are affected in Coorg (Kodagu) in Karnataka due to similar floods. Visit this link to donate and help: https://www.karnataka.com/coorg/kodagu-flood-donation-centers-and-helpline-numbers/

Here are the heart-warming stories:

Fishermen with a golden heart:

Nobody asked the fishermen in Kerala to aid in the rescue. Forgoing days of livelihood, they themselves came out to help people in need. A lady living in a high-rise apartment was rescued thus by the fishermen folk. As a gesture of gratefulness, she offered money to them. They said “It is OK, dear sister. We are not doing this for money”. Hearing this, she couldn’t stop tears that came gushing through. She said that she hadn’t cried so heartily in a long time. People of Kerala will forever be indebted to the fishermen community.

A young man becoming a foot board to the boat:

There were women who were struggling to get on to the boat. This young man didn’t even give it a second thought. He went on all fours and became a footboard so that the women can get on to the boat and reach the relief camp. In her heist, the old lady forgot to remove her foot ware and stepped on this person. But the young man told her “It is ok Umma. You step on!”

Hanan - the young girl’s donation of 1.5 Lakhs:

 Hanan is a young spirited girl. She funds her own education by doing small jobs and selling fish. She was in news recently across Kerala. Some anti- social elements made fun of her and trolled her on social media. Thankfully, better sense prevailed, and the state came together to help her. Multiple people from different walks of life helped her out monetarily and otherwise. This little girl contributed 150,000 INR towards the relief efforts. I do not know what to admire more  – her maturity or her goodness of heart.

When angels came in uniform:

The armed forces are doing their best as always to help the people in distress. There was a lady who was 9 months pregnant. The heroes from Navy rescued her and put her in a hospital. She has delivered. Both the mother and kid are fine. What could have become a grave tragedy for a family and a society has become a moment of happiness and triumph. I am sure there are many more such stories. The Navy spokesperson said that every naval cadet would have been in Kerala for a few months atleast during their formative years. He added that all of them have a special place in their hearts for the state of Kerala. I know I speak for many if not all from my state that from today, people of Kerala will cherish the armed forces just the way you hold us special.

Relief camp left spotless:

“This place was home for me for last four days. How can I leave it dirty? We keep our home clean right?” Said one of the inmates.

This is how the displaced people left behind one of the fourth-floor rooms where 1200 people stayed in the Kongorpilly Govt Higher Secondary school. I have often heard that cleanliness is next to Godliness. Today, I believe those words.

Hindu burial at the church:

A person called Subramniyan passed away at a relief camp in Thodupuzha, due to flood. Much to their distress, his kids couldn't find a place to bury him.  Father Shinto, the local priest came to know this when he visited the relief camp and provided support for Subramaniyan's family and burial took place at  St. Antony church cemetery. In Kerala, like in many other states in India, we all have friends from other communities/religions. Largely, there are no areas segregated based on religion. We all live with much love and affection for each other. I pray to Gods that this continues.

Calicut/Kozhikode collector tearing up:

The neighbouring district of Thrissur was cut off due to landslides on the National Highway. Due to this, the only access was through Calicut (Kozhikode). He put up a Facebook post asking for relief materials for Thrissur. He was expecting at best, one truck load of materials to be taken to Calicut. In a matter of hours, he could send 3 truckloads full of relief materials. It was not that Calicut was not suffering. That district was also affected much. When asked what would have contributed this, Collector couldn’t help but tear up and say “It is the goodness of people of Calicut”.

Tovino – the real-life hero:

Tovino is a Malayalam movie actor. He has been helping people on the ground right from day 1. He is helping in terms of getting relief materials to people, rescuing them from there and providing shelter. What particularly touched my heart was that he put up a post asking people to take shelter at his home if the need be. Many actors have been contributing in many ways towards relief efforts – contributing to the relief fund, gathering materials and in many more ways. All those efforts are commendable, and people are grateful and appreciative. What makes Tovino’s efforts special is him working shoulder to shoulder with the people in his town to help those in need, day in and day out. 

Srin Joy, the 4 year old's priceless donation:

This little fellow, Srin has been collecting pocket money for some time now. His collection was the left over change from his parents' shop visits and such. His idea was to buy a little cycle with this money. But for now, he is letting go of his dream toy and donating this to the flood victims. But what he doesn't know is that the day he goes back to school, there will be a brand new cycle waiting for him at the school - thanks to an old student from the same school, Mr. Bhaskar! 

Footballers who walked straight to the gallery:

After the successful match during Calcutta football league, 3 players from the East Bengal team walked up to the gallery. Joby Justin, Ubaid C.K. and Mirshad Kurian - players in the East Bengal team who are from Kerala walked up to the gallery to collect funds from the audience to contribute towards Kerala flood relief. The audience ofcourse were quite generous and touched. I am sure people of Kerala couldn't be more proud of these three young men. 

With Love, from Pakistan:

I have often heard stories from my cousins in the gulf - how wonderfully Indians and Pakistanis in the middle east get along with much love and friendship. These men from Pakistan decided to donate their one day's salary towards the cause of helping Kerala. May more such stories emerge across the border. 

When the people lined up with folded handsto thank their saviors:

By now, you all would have heard about how the fishermen in Kerala took it up on themselves to help the people in distress without anyone asking them to do this. Above picture shows how the people of a village (I think near by Chengannur town) lined up along the road and showed their respect with folded hands towards their heroes, their saviors. This image will stay on for a very very long time in the minds of people. If you look closely at the second picture., the person in white has removed his footwear. In Kerala, we usually do this when we fold our hands in front of Gods. These brave fishermen are nothing less than Gods to us. 

If you hear about any such stories, let me know in comments. I shall add them too. Let us keep spreading positivity and humanity.

A gentle reminder yet again. Kindly contribute here: http://www.cmdrf.kerala.gov.in/ . 

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