New Delhi: No one knows when dreams turn into reality. Not all broken dreams die. Some find their way even in adverse circumstances. Something similar has happened with a woman. Years ago she had a dream, but her father did not let it become a reality. But in the Wayanad tragedy of Kerala, that woman got a chance to revive those broken dreams. Yes, 37 years ago Anganwadi worker Vijaykumari NS had dreamed of becoming a police officer. She had also turned her dream into reality. But her father tore the offer letter of police recruitment at the last moment. Due to the appointment letter of police recruitment being torn by her father, she could not become a policewoman. But Anganwadi worker Vijaykumari NS got inspiration from her unfulfilled dream after the Wayanad tragedy. As the only female volunteer, she stood shoulder to shoulder with the uniformed police forces in removing and carrying the dead bodies.
According to a Times of India report, 57-year-old Vijayakumari is an Anganwadi worker in Muppayanad Panchayat. She was also the first woman volunteer to reach the disaster site in Wayanad after two landslides occurred about a week ago. On July 30, she woke up to a phone ring at 4 am and her mission began after that. The caller informed that within a few hours, two landslides had occurred in Mundakkai and Choorlamalla and devastation had been caused.
After this, Vijaykumari lost her sleep. She immediately left the house and reached Churlamla driving her scooter in the torrential rain. When she reached there at around 5 in the morning, she saw that her familiar area had turned into a pile of mud and debris. Vijaykumari immediately offered to join the rescue work. She told the officials that she was a trained civil defense volunteer. Due to this courage, by 8 pm, she helped in removing 17 bodies. Regarding this incident, she said that the scene was disturbing, but I could not turn away.
For the next two days, anganwadi worker Vijayakumari worked tirelessly at the temporary morgue erected at Meppadi, where bodies and body parts brought from Nilambur were kept. “I had to constantly control my emotions. I thought my presence would help the women who were coming to identify their loved ones. Some women fainted on seeing the mutilated bodies,” she said.
Vijayakumari is a brown belt winner in Karate. Vijayakumari believes that her dream of joining the police force could not be fulfilled, but this should not make her step out of the traditional role of an Anganwadi worker. She said, ‘I have been active in social service for a long time. I have even done medical palliative care work whenever I got a chance. Earlier also, as a volunteer of the District Legal Services Authority, she had visited all the houses in Choorlamalla and Mundakkai blocks.
Tags: Kerala, Kerala News, Natural Disaster
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 5, 2024, 06:50 IST
