Back home, they recount a nightmare

KOCHI: It was a promise they made to each other soon after they took the wedding vow: a trip to Kashmir together. This Onam, P R Sukumaran (70) and Kanakam Sukumaran (63), a couple from Palarivattom, almost came close to fulfilling their long-cherished dream but nature played havoc.
They managed to reach Srinagar but they couldn't get to enjoy the beauty of Kashmir.Instead, what they saw was destruction, suffering and pain. "It was a dream come true for us when we reached Srinagar on September 6. We had saved for months together for this trip. But once there, we could barely get out of our room. We were on the fourth floor of the hotel while it was flooded till the first floor. We were scared and worried for each other," Kanakam said as she hugged her grandson.
They had paid Rs 64,000 to the travel operator for the four-night, five-day trip to Kashmir. While Kanakam is a heart patient, her husband has kidney ailment. They had survived on bread and dry fruits for three days, till they were rescued by local people.
The couple were among the 25-plus Malayalis who returned from Kashmir on Wednesday. Their stories were similar -- how they lived through the nightmare, unable to contact their immediate family as their cellphones had conked off and there was no water or electricity. They had tales of human generosity as well ? how the local people lifted them on their shoulders and moved them to safety without caring for their own safety.
Usha Prabhu (25), who works in a bank, had since long wanted to go on a holiday with her mother, Santha (60). "The last holiday we took was five years ago. I wanted to spend some quality time with my mother in the paradise on earth, but the trip turned out to be a nightmare," she said.
They arrived in Srinagar on September 6 evening and were stuck in the hotel as the ground floor of the hotel was waterlogged. Next day, when the rainfall receded, they were rescued by local people, who first put a metal sheet from first floor of the hotel balcony to the boundary wall and then carried them on their shoulder to safety.
Adventure is what attracted Asha Sunil (47) and 14 others to Kashmir. They had planned a six-day trek from August 30 in Kashmir. However, within three days, they had to abandon their trek due to bad weather and return to a homestay in Srinagar. "On the first day of rescue operations, we heard helicopters fly over our building but no help came. Men got on top of the roof and waved white towels. Next day, around 200 people, mostly women, children and aged men, were rescued and airlifted to Chandigarh, from where we took a flight to Delhi. They had not rescued the young men and now we are worried about the men from our group," Asha said.
They had survived on milk powder, water and five almonds a day. Of the five who had gone in the group from Kochi, two men — Najaf Ali, who is into real estate, and Ayas Ali, who runs the French Toast café - are still missing.
Asha returned with actress Apoorva Bose on Wednesday evening by an Air India flight. "We were at a homestay, when around 11pm, there was a knock on the door and we were asked to collect essential items and vacate the place. The homestay owner accompanied us to a hotel and returned home to her daughter. Next day, when we inquired about her, we learnt that her house was submerged in water and there was no news about her. Till now, we have not been able to locate her," Apoorva said.