Wayanad: Last year, the morning of July 29 was as normal as any other day for the people of Chooralmala and Mundakkai in this hill district.
Apart from the pouring rain, it was business as usual in this stunningly beautiful hillside, a highly sought-after tourist destination.
Everything changed in a flash the next day, on July 30, and the once-favourite tourist spot became an open grave overnight.
One year after the most severe natural calamity Kerala had ever witnessed, Mundakkai and Chooralmala remain ghost towns, with only a few houses intact.
There are no people here, except for a tribal family of three, who still live in the area.
Though the wounds of this disaster -- which claimed 298 lives and wiped out everything that stood on the ground -- seem unlikely ever to heal, Mundakkai and Chooralmala also tell remarkable stories of survival, resilience, and Kerala’s unity in the face of an unprecedented disaster.
With work on a township envisaged by the state government for the rehabilitation of landslide survivors progressing-- and with many complaints and political accusations being raised against it -- some stories of the survivors offer hope and reflect the resilience of the people of Wayanad in moving forward with their lives.
Naufal, who lost 11 members of his family in the landslide, is one of many examples from disaster‑torn Chooralmala.
Having lost everyone in his family, he has now started a hotel in Meppadi, aptly naming it ‘July 30’ in memory of the day he lost all his loved ones.
Naufal was abroad at work when the disaster struck, wiping away everything he had-- his family, his house, and the land he owned in Mundakkai.
He could not return to his workplace, as it was too much for him to overcome the trauma and leave the place where his family members were buried alive.
“My family always wished that I would start a hotel in our area. Now, with the help of good Samaritans, I have managed to open a small hotel to fulfil their wish,” Naufal said.
A similar story is that of five children who were orphaned in the disaster and are now gradually returning to normal life, pursuing their education under the Kinship Foster Care Programme, which allows close relatives to care for these children with government support.
Child welfare officers who frequently visit them say the children often recall their parents, with the trauma yet to fully leave them. PTI