Grieving headmaster mourns students lost in Wayanad landslides
The wreckage of the school, where Unnikrishnan is the headmaster, was among the first visuals that came out of Mundakkai after the disaster hit.
Girls who lost their homes in landslides sit in a classroom at a school, which has been converted into a temporary relief camp, at Meppadi in Wayanad district of Kerala on August 2.
| Photo Credit: C.K. Thanseer
Days after a series of catastrophic landslides tore through the Mundakkai region of Wayanad claiming the lives of hundreds of its residents, Unnikrishnan, the headmaster of the Vellarimala school, which was badly affected by the disaster, summoned the courage to visit his beloved school.
As soon as Unni ‘mash’, as he was dearly called by everyone, set eyes on the pile of rubble, which the area had turned into, he collapsed, unable to withstand the heart-rending sight.
“We had taught these kids not to harm nature, and they also took part in conservation efforts. But nature ultimately took them away,” he was seen talking to reporters.
Mr. Unni has been working with the same school for the past 18 years.
“We used to come to the school at 7.30 a.m. every day. Is there any government school in Kerala that starts so early? We used to sit here and teach,” he said, pointing to the area next to the river, unable to control his sobbing.
The double-storeyed school building that once stood majestically along the riverbank, set against a picturesque landscape, at Vellarimala near Meppadi here, now lies in ruins.
The wreckage of the school was among the first visuals that came out of the Mundakkai, which was hit by the recent catastrophic landslide.
“We told the kids, you’re the luckiest students in the world because you get to study beside such a beautiful river. We took too much pride. And got punished for that,” Mr. Unni said.
According to the State government, a total of 49 children from the region are missing. Some of them were students at Vellarimala GVHSS.
The school authorities are yet to trace the exact number of students from that school who are missing.
Rescue teams in Wayanad stepped up search operations on August 2, deploying advanced radars, drones, and heavy machinery to locate survivors or remains.
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