"It's the smallest thing I could do," said the 1st year Kerala college student Ela Suresh
The disaster in Kerala has shown the world how compassionate and caring people can be. Four-year-olds to teenagers and the physically disabled are doing whatever they can to help out each other in the state. "I felt it was really the smallest thing I could do for the people who are suffering," said 18-year-old Elsa Suresh of Thrissur to NDTV. Thrissur is one of the worst-affected districts in Kerala.
Elsa left her home on the day flood waters entered her house in early August. "I left my home on the morning the floods started. Two days after that my aunt showed interest in going to a stadium nearby, where things were being packed to be taken to a relief camp, " said Elsa.
"Everyone was helping each other, I was already inspired by the thousands of posts on social media and what people were doing to help each other, said the 1st year student, who is pursuing a course in Zoology, at a college in Thrissur.
Elsa's family has lost everything in their house and rebuilding is a Herculean task now.
While talking to NDTV, Elsa spoke about what she did at the camps. "I was very happy see truckloads of clothes arriving at the camp. Some clothes could be used and some couldn't. I was given the task of segregating clothes. I would sew some clothes that could be reused," said Elsa.
Far away in Kolkata, a four-year-old girl on Wednesday donated her piggy bank savings to the Kerala relief fund set up by the CPM. Aparajita Saha, a resident of Jadavpur, had saved around Rs 14,800 from the gifts she had received during her birthday to buy a CD player to rehearse for her dance classes. She handed over the money to CPM leader Biman Bose.
After seeing the visuals of Kerala floods on TV channels, she decided to donate the money for the victims of the devastating floods. "I want this money to be given to my sisters in Kerala," said Aparajita.
The floods in Kerala, the worst in a century, have killed over 237 since August 8.