Krishna, a student of Class 9, and her brother Kishore, a student of Class 7 were orphaned in the fire.
Paravur, Kerala: The shocking fire on 10 April, 2016 at the 100 year old Puttingal temple at Paravur left the nation traumatized. But one story emerged out of that unconscionable disaster that brought cheer to many: it was the adoption of two young children who had been orphaned in the tragedy. Krishna, the elder one, is a student of Class 9 and her brother, Kishore, is in Class 7 in Nendugolam Government School.
Residents of Kollam in Paravur, these children had to pay a heavy price for the fire tragedy. Their parents had a tea stall near the temple, and Krishna and Kishore were helping them out. By a stroke of luck, they had been sent to fetch water when the fire broke out, but the parents died in the fire.
The Art of Living, Kerala is going to take up the educational responsibilities of these children. “These kids do have grandparents, but they are old and infirm. We have decided to adopt the children and take responsibility for their educational expenses.” says Jayachandran B. S., from The Art of Living, Kerala. “We also propose to assist other kids whose families have lost their bread-winners in this incident,” he says.
The Kollam disaster killed at least 102 persons and injured 280. With scores hospitalized, and many families traumatized, several organizations rushed to help in relief operations.
The Art of Living volunteers helped victims to the hospitals and also with carrying dead bodies. As the news spread, local teams were activated. A team of 20 teachers from the organization began trauma-counselling. Scores of its volunteers donated blood at the Trivandrum Medical College and at Kollam Hospital. They also visited the homes of the victims and obtained information on the other kinds of assistance required. Food distribution was carried out in hospitals and in some localities.
But in this particular relief-initiative, The Art of Living went well beyond its usual relief initiatives - by adopting the siblings, Krishna and Kishore.
This article was published on April 12, 2016.