KERALA FLOODS 2018

When the floods began children were happy. Schools were closed. They could play in the rain and water. As the rain started to increase in intensity the floods became more widespread and water levels began rising causing damage to farms and houses. Dams were almost full. Water had to be released from the dams which added to the problem. More than 300 people died in the floods. Many wild animals would have died too.

Some people were stranded on roof tops. Power supply was cut off in most places. Without electricity, life became difficult even for those not affected by the floods. Their only means of communication is the mobile phone which needs to be charged. Rescue teams from the army helped to get people to the safety of relief camps which were set up by the state government. Local fishermen came in their boats to lend a helping hand.

Some houses were swept away due to landslides. Some were under water.  As the floods recede and people go back to their houses they will find most of their belongings damaged by the dirty water. Cleaning up will require a lot of effort. Most of the household appliances will have to be replaced. Meanwhile people have been warned about the potential spread of waterborne diseases and advised to take precautions. Most parts of Kollam district, where I live, were not really affected by the floods. So, I was fortunate to have escaped the ordeal. All I saw was some puddles around my house.

THAILAND CAVE RESCUE

When I first heard the news about some boys trapped in a cave in Thailand I was not so interested. I thought it was a small incident. I did not expect a cave to be so deep. Only later did I know that the boys were several kilometers deep inside the cave. They had gone deeper to avoid the water flooding the cave due to the heavy monsoon rains. When divers located them and the boys were shown smiling on TV, I felt more concerned about their safety. Now there were faces to relate to. Those boys had survived without food for about two weeks and had to drink water from melted ice. Yet they were smiling.

 

Divers had a difficult task bringing the boys out safely. Some parts of the cave were very narrow and only one person could go through at one time. Fast flowing muddy waters made visibility low and there were sharp rocks that added to their woes. The boys did not know diving and their oxygen tank had to be carried by a diver. The boys were sedated so that they would not panic under water. Divers from Thailand and some foreign countries were involved in the rescue attempt. Sadly, one Thai diver died in the rescue attempt. Within a few days divers brought out all the boys and their coach safely. It was inspiring.

STATE BANK OF INDIA

State Bank of India, Kollam

BOMBS

I used to think bombs caused widespread damage. I thought all bombs were somewhat like the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. My only real experience with bombs was during my stay in Africa. There was a border conflict and sometimes aircraft would fly across the border and drop bombs. We would hear a loud sound and then see smoke rising from a distant place. I then realized that the usual bombs have an affect only on a limited area where the bomb falls. Moreover bombs are expensive. Most countries cannot afford to drop hundreds of bombs. They usually have only a small number of fighter aircraft which are also very expensive. Bombs are dropped on selected targets so that they are not wasted. Targets are carefully chosen to avoid civilians and property owned by friendly countries.

When the border conflict escalated into an all-out war I had to think of leaving and was staying at a hotel in the capital. One day I noticed an aircraft circling at high altitude. It was trying to avoid the anti-aircraft guns on the ground. Soon it flew down dropped a bomb and flew back up again. We heard a loud sound and saw smoke rising up. I did not know where the bomb fell. Most people thought the airport was bombed. I was worried because that would affect my plan to leave the country. I listened to the news and came to know that it was indeed the airport that was bombed. There were two sections at the airport. They had bombed the section used by the air force. The commercial section was not affected. They avoided the commercial section because there are airlines from several countries operating there and those countries may respond. I could fly out within a few days.

RIVERSIDE HOUSE

Riverside House, Alappuzha, Kerala

CARRYING A TABLE

My colleague who was staying nearby asked me if I would help him carry a table. I said 'of course' and followed him. I noticed he was walking hurriedly towards the table. He stood on one side of the table and was smiling. It was the less heavy side. So I had to carry the heavier side which had the drawers. I then realized why he was hurrying towards the table. I helped him carry the table. He thought he outsmarted me but I understood what kind of person he was.

ASTHAMUDI LAKE

Asthamudi Lake, Kollam