Ruins to rebirth: After losing 11 family members in Wayanad landslides, Noufal’s ‘July 30’ ray of hope

KOZHIKODE: The sight of Kalathingal Noufal (42) making his way to Mundakkai on arrival from Oman five days after the landslide, with a listless look in his face to see his entire 11-member family and their house swept away by the tragedy is one of the most unforgettable and traumatic images of the Wayanad catastrophe.
Now, nearly four months after the tragedy, which saw 254 people killed (47 are still missing) and two villages wiped off the map, Noufal has, in an act of fortitude, opened a restaurant and bakery at Meppadi and has named it ‘July 30', the day which altered his fate, and that of the village he grew up in, forever. "I couldn't conceive of any other name for this venture as it was my family's dream that I return from the Gulf and settle here by setting up a bakery. Additionally, it symbolises hope and resilience with the word ‘After' inscribed on the coffee cup placed before the name ‘July 30' in the display board of the establishment," Noufal said.
Noufal, who had gone from Mundakkai to Oman three months before the tragedy, lost his wife Sajna, their two children, his parents and brother's family in the wee hours of July 30 when the landslide swept away the house in which they were living and leaving just a huge boulder in the place where the house stood. "My wife desired that I return from Oman and she used to always suggest that I start a bakery so that we could live together. I decided to set up the bakery to honour my family's wish though they aren't present to witness its fulfilment," he said.
Noufal added that when office bearers of Kerala Naduvathul Mujahideen (KNM), who sponsored the setting up of the bakery, asked him what he wanted to do for a livelihood he had only the wish of his family in mind. Noufal has displayed a painting of the erstwhile Mundakkai village, which was obliterated by the landslide and now solely exists as memory, inside the restaurant. The restaurant is situated on the Meppadi-Thollayiram Kandi road.