Kerala Student’s Tale of Landslides Becomes a Harrowing Reality – Evacuate Immediately

New Delhi:

An anecdote penned by a schoolgirl in Kerala supposedly predicted the massive landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad that claimed nearly 300 lives and wounded over 200.

“In case of rainfall, landslides will strike the waterfall, swallowing everything in their way, including human lives,” were the prophetic phrases in the narrative composed by the Grade 8 student for her school periodical last year.

A year later, devastating landslides leveled her town, Chooramala. Additionally, her school – Government Vocational Higher Secondary School in Chooramala’s Vellarmala – has been entirely buried under debris. She has also lost her father to the catastrophe, according to a report by Indian Express.

The student, Laya, crafted a tale about a girl who perishes in a waterfall but returns as a bird to caution two pals about an imminent peril.

In the narrative, two companions – Anaswara and Alamkrita – visit a waterfall without informing their parents. Shortly, the bird approaches the girls and instructs them to depart immediately.

“Depart now, children. It’s perilous up ahead,” the bird alerts the girls.

The children flee the vicinity before glancing back to witness the rainwater streaming down the hill. They also observe the bird metamorphose into the little girl, rescuing them from encountering the same fate as her.

Laya had penned the tale, ‘Agrahathinte Duranubhavam’ (The Misery of Desire) for her school’s digital magazine ‘Vellaram Kallukal’.

The initial landslide occurred at 2 am on Tuesday, followed by another at 4:10 am, causing damage to residences and livelihoods. Numerous areas, such as Meppadi, Mundakkai, and Chooralmala, have been cut off, and roads have been swept away.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan convened a high-level meeting in Wayanad last night to assess the situation. He declared that rescue operations will be the primary focus and that rehabilitation will be expedited.

Leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and Wayanad MP, Rahul Gandhi, characterized the landslides as a “dreadful tragedy”. The Congress leader, who arrived in Wayanad a day ago to evaluate the devastation, also urged for a prompt comprehensive action plan to address the situation.