Meppadi: The tears that streamed down cheeks had not yet dried. The faces of friends who had once sat close by were vivid in memory. From the night when the mudslide ravaged the land, turning the yard into both home and camp, they stood once again in a school assembly on the same grounds. The pages of memory held their beloved friends close. The teachers embraced those with heavy hearts, offering comfort as they melted in the heat of their painful experiences. When classes resumed on Tuesday at Meppadi Government Higher Secondary School after the landslide disaster, three names were missing from the attendance register.
Sharan, Mohammed Naishan, and Hina had become flowers of tears in the disaster. Riswan, who used to sit on the same bench as Sharan, was consoled by teacher Radha in the staff room.
As they stood under the tent in the schoolyard, where food was once prepared for the disaster victims, many held back their sobs. The children paid tribute to their departed friends before moving to their classrooms. Classes also resumed at Meppadi Government LP, St. Joseph’s UP, and St. Joseph’s Girls High School. Since July 30, these schools have been functioning as relief camps due to the landslide. Vellarmala Government Vocational Higher Secondary School, which was destroyed by the landslide, will start classes at (Meppadi School on September 2. Mundakkai LP School will also open at the APJ Hall in Meppadi.
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