Kerala pilgrims help a child flood victim | Fusion - WeRIndia

Years ago, when massive floods devastated the lands of Uttarakhand, thousands upon thousands of people lost their lives, livelihoods, and homes to the destruction.

However, one boy among the thousands, Himanshu, was given the opportunity to build a new life for himself and his mother. Before the floods hit, his family had lived in the village of Triyuginarayan, where his father worked in a teashop.

The young boy would help his family by collecting firewood from the forest, for which he would earn ₹10 per bundle. This errand ended up saving his life when the floods reached and destroyed his family’s village.

Himanshu struggled for three days, starving, and after that, he finally managed to reach his home.

He found the teashop washed away and his father missing. However, he and his mother found help in a group of pilgrims from Kerala.

These pilgrims decided to volunteer to sponsor the cost of Himanshu’s education, after they heard his story.

The school was on the route of their road to Kedarnath, and Chithran Namboodirippad, the former Educational Deputy Director, insisted that the group visit the school in Triyuginarayan along the way.

Chithran did not forget his promise, and made it a point to write to A. K. Antony, the Minister of Defense at the time.

Once he returned to his home in Thrissur, he wrote to Antony and asked for some kind of monetary intervention.

Thus, Himanshu and his mother received financial support of ₹6 lakhs from the government, which they could use to build a house. Another person from the group sends money to the family regularly, which allows Himanshu to study at Navodaya Vidyalaya.

Currently, Himanshu is in class 6, and he and his mother are ever grateful to the travelling group of pilgrims who literally helped them rebuild their life.

Photo by Chris Gallagher on Unsplash(Free for Commercial Use)

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