Meppadi (Wayanad): July 30 was the day Kalathingal Noufal, a native of Mundakkai near here, lost everyone he loved and everything he had in the devastating landslide that partially wiped out the Mundakkai and Chooralmala villages.

Nearly four months after the disaster, Noufal opened a restaurant and bakery on KB Road here with the help of some kind-hearted individuals. As a reminder of the day he lost everything, Noufal named his restaurant and bakery ‘July 30’.

Noufal lost all 11 members of his family, including his wife Sajna, three children, father Kunjumoideen, mother Ayesha, brother Mansoor, sister-in-law Muhsina, and three nieces. Noufal was in Oman when the disaster struck his family.
Apart from his family, the majority of his acquaintances in the neighbourhood also disappeared, along with the hard-earned wealth they had accumulated.

When help came from the Islamic organization Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (KNM) to help start a restaurant in Meppadi, Noufal did not hesitate to choose the name for the restaurant. KNM state president TP Abdullahkoya Madani inaugurated the restaurant and bakery on Monday.

Noufal told Onmanorama that it is a bittersweet moment for him. While he is happy to have survived the dark days of his life and fought through the odds, he expressed sadness that his parents are not here with him to witness their dream - a shop of his own- coming true. "It was for this dream that my parents had urged me to migrate to Oman," he said, adding, "Just three months later, fate dealt me its brutal blow in the form of the landslide."

"I am thankful to everyone, including Manorama News, the KNM leadership, my friends, relatives, and all those who gave me the strength to overcome the darkest period of my life," he said.

Expressing his gratitude to all who supported him, Noufal said that he hopes everyone will continue to stand by him in this new beginning of his life.
“I have only you, my dearest, to keep close to my heart,” he said, referring to the known and unknown people who became pillars of support to him.

As per official records, the landslides wiped out two villages and claimed 254 lives. Around 47 people are still missing.