For a change, Onam brings cheer in relief camps
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 25 : Survivors of Kerala's worst floods in a century on Saturday set aside their misery, even if only temporarily, to celebrate Onam in numerous relief camps across the state, relishing the traditional Onam 'sadya' or lunch.
The second day of the harvest festival, called Thiru Onam, fell on Saturday.
Camp officers ensured the availability of vegetables and other commodities after men and women in the camps insisted they would cook the 'sadya' themselves instead of accepting what was being offered by NGOs and clubs.
Of course not all the 26 dishes that constitute the 'sadya' could be readied but people appeared to be happy with what they could prepare. Children in the camps gathered whatever flowers were available in and around the camp sites to prepare floral carpets.
Ever since monsoon rains began lashing Kerala on May 29, a total of 417 people have died. This month, unprecedented floods caused widespread destruction and forced more than a million people to flee their homes to take shelter in relief centres.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday evening said 8.69 lakh people were still sheltered in 2,787 camps, big and small.
"We refused a sponsored Onam 'sadya'. Our own lunch turned out to be a huge success," said Parvathy, a middle aged woman who has been in a camp in Alappuzha for the past five days.
At a camp supported by a state-run engineering college, student volunteers joined the Onam celebrations. In Kottayam, residents of Aymenem and Kumarakom said the Onam 'sadya' provided them huge relief after unending stories of human suffering.
"The bonhomie lit up our lives especially when we prepared our own 'sadya'," said a woman who was getting ready to return to her home.
Added Devika, at a camp in Kozhikode: "The tragedy has helped us learn many things which we never ever thought we would learn. We feel we have passed the litmus test."
Bringing solace to a relief camp in Kodungalloor on Saturday was superstar Mammootty, who urged everyone to keep a positive frame of mind.
"You are going to rebuild your lives. Remember, many of you were saved by people who never knew you. Likewise, while a million people were affected by the floods, 30 million Keralites were not. Just like you were saved by unknown people, unknown people all across Kerala will come to your rescue when you rebuild your lives.
"Also, the Kerala government is there with you. Just be positive," he said.
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Kejriwal admits AAP Government failed to fulfil three promises, Congress criticises
New Delhi: Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal admitted during a speech at Laxmi Bai Nagar that his government failed to fulfil three major promises made earlier. He assured the gathering that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is working towards addressing these issues.
Kejriwal said, "I could not fulfil three promises, cleaning the Yamuna River, providing clean drinking water 24 hours a day, and upgrading Delhi’s roads to European standards." He also reminded the audience of his 2023 promise to clean the Yamuna and take a dip in its waters before the 2025 Assembly polls. Recently, he inaugurated a 24-hour drinking water supply in Rajendra Nagar and vowed to extend this initiative across Delhi.
Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit, contesting against Kejriwal, criticised him for failing to address pollution in the Yamuna and Delhi's toxic air. Dikshit, son of former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, alleged that the Kejriwal government had neglected setting up sewage treatment plants, worsening the Yamuna's pollution.
He also attributed Delhi’s air pollution to the rising number of vehicles, lack of a strong public transport system, and diminishing green cover. "The number of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) buses has decreased from 5,500 in 2013 to around 3,000 now," Dikshit added.
