It has been a dozen years since my camera became my constant companion and many times, we have been called upon to capture nature's fury.
I vividly remember feeling deeply for the victims as I shot the floods of 2013 that ravaged Aluva and Nedumbassery and the deluge of Kozhikode a year or so ago but never did I think that instead of running towards a flood, I would be running away from it.
And, that’s exactly what I was forced to do. I stay at Edappally with my wife and our toddler. I had packed them off to her native place, Mala, soon after the rains turned ugly in Kochi a few days ago. Since then, my lower body has hardly been outside water for a few good hours.
After finishing the customary Independence Day clicks, I got a call from friends in my native place Kallayam near Cochin International Airport that water was rushing into the houses. My brothers live there, so I decided to go and help out.
I reached there on my bike around 1 pm. Though the area as water-logged, our premises looked alright. I then decided to explore further to the Aluva side, which was getting flooded with water from Periyar. On the way to Chovvara, a few spots were full of water but vehicles could cross. Then I heard that Neduvannoor bridge, which I had just crossed, partially collapsed and that I wouldn’t be able to return via the same route. Worried people narrated how areas were getting marooned.
I managed to ride the bike till the house of an acquaintance nearby and parked it there. I wanted to get back to a junction from where I could probably manage to get some vehicle through an alternative route. For the next half an hour, it was an ordeal, wading through waist-level filthy water. It was also cold and flowing forcefully. The only solace was the company of people, in the same boat. Well, not exactly, because the rescue boats arrived much later.
I finally reached the junction, contacted a friend who picked me up on bike and took me to Sreemoolanagaram around 5 pm. Even amid the atmosphere of gloom, there were people turning do-gooders, just like my friend did.
“People are leaving for the relief camp set up at a school in Sreemoolanagaram,” I was told soon after reaching Kallayam. A few were reluctant to leave, including my friend Biju. He said, “I am not going yet. I have sent off my parents to the camp. My cow and goat will be alone if I too leave.” Water was threatening to get inside our house and my brother who was still around was confused whether to stay or leave. I told him to move to a safe place and left with my camera to Aluva.
I stayed at a friend’s house in Aluva. At midnight, Biju called to say that water was getting inside his house and that he was moving the animals to a safer place. He called again at 6 am, to inform that he had to abandon the animals on the terrace in the hope that water would not rise that high. Biju too eventually left the place, wading through chest-level water and saw our house nearly getting submerged.
Worried about my near and dear, I decided to go to the relief camp at Sreemoolanagaram. I walked a bit, climbed on to a changadam on the way, took a few more lifts, and reached the Aluva Palace area, where I could see the disaster management team rescuing the stranded from tall apartments. It was evident that I wouldn’t be able to move forward an inch more. I decided to get back to Edappally and once again, it was a journey of walking, hitching hikes in lorries, bikes and what not... My wife’s calls were coming intermittently. “The situation is grim here. Will you be able to come?” she kept asking. Obviously, that was a long way off.
Somehow, I managed to reach home by 7 pm on August 16, only to be told that the Edapally area too was being threatened by gushing waters. Grabbing my other bike, I left for a friend’s place in Kangarapady where I was told that it was a false alarm and that only a certain area of Edapally was water logged! I’m now back in Edappally wondering what’s next? Only time and clouds can tell!