Meppadi: Her world shattered in an instant as the funeral pyre consumed her beloved younger sister. Shruthi, barely conscious, had no more tears left to cry.
Her wedding, planned for December, now seemed like a distant dream. The new home her family had moved into just six weeks ago is reduced to rubble. The family had painstakingly saved Rs 4.5 lakh and collected 15 sovereigns of gold ornaments to celebrate the occasion. Now, everything lay buried beneath the debris.
The landslide, with its torrent of water and debris, swept away Shruthi’s entire family—her father Shivannan, mother Sabitha, and dear sister Shreya. Of her loved ones, only Shreya’s body was found. Shreya had been pursuing her degree at NMSM Government College in Kattapana.
Shruthi, an employee at MIMS Hospital in Kozhikode, was spared from the disaster because she had been staying at a relative’s house. Now, she stands alone, surrounded by the remnants of a life that once was.