Dehradun:
It's been 13 days since floods and torrential rains ravaged the state of Uttarakhand. With more than 3000 still missing, families are waiting anxiously for a word on their loved ones.
"It's beyond our limit now. We can't wait now," says Mayur Gaikwad, whose mother went missing on June 15 when she was on her way to Kedarnath. In the last week, Mr Gaikwad has been knocking on government and hospital doors looking for his mother.
"Why can't they just tell us that these are the casualty figures we expect, our operations are over there, we expect no survivors, so that those who are clinging on to hope, like us, finally know what to expect," he says.
Many families like Mr Gaikwad are waiting outside the gate of the Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun and battling this uncertainty that has been particularly painful.
Ambrish Srivastav has come from Lucknow is looking for six members of his family. The youngest, is a teenager named Akriti, whose name appeared on a list of rescued persons.
However, in spite of spending close to two weeks looking for her, he's no closer to finding out if the rescued girl is his niece.
Mr Srivastav says, "The list just has her name. No details on where and how she was rescued. Was she sent by bus, by chopper? Is she the same person? Is it my niece or another person with the same name?"
Every time a chopper flies above their heads at the airport, a new hope flickers.
For the nine members of Santosh Choudhary's family from Jaipur, the Kedarnath trip was the realisation of their planning for the past two year. All nine are now missing.
Her eyes well up as she chokes on her words, "This uncertainly kills us a hundred times every day. Either one way or the other, just tell us what's happened to them."
With every passing day, their resilience is tested. Many gathered here do not expect a miracle, all they want is some closure.
"It's beyond our limit now. We can't wait now," says Mayur Gaikwad, whose mother went missing on June 15 when she was on her way to Kedarnath. In the last week, Mr Gaikwad has been knocking on government and hospital doors looking for his mother.
"Why can't they just tell us that these are the casualty figures we expect, our operations are over there, we expect no survivors, so that those who are clinging on to hope, like us, finally know what to expect," he says.
Many families like Mr Gaikwad are waiting outside the gate of the Jolly Grant airport in Dehradun and battling this uncertainty that has been particularly painful.
Ambrish Srivastav has come from Lucknow is looking for six members of his family. The youngest, is a teenager named Akriti, whose name appeared on a list of rescued persons.
However, in spite of spending close to two weeks looking for her, he's no closer to finding out if the rescued girl is his niece.
Mr Srivastav says, "The list just has her name. No details on where and how she was rescued. Was she sent by bus, by chopper? Is she the same person? Is it my niece or another person with the same name?"
Every time a chopper flies above their heads at the airport, a new hope flickers.
For the nine members of Santosh Choudhary's family from Jaipur, the Kedarnath trip was the realisation of their planning for the past two year. All nine are now missing.
Her eyes well up as she chokes on her words, "This uncertainly kills us a hundred times every day. Either one way or the other, just tell us what's happened to them."
With every passing day, their resilience is tested. Many gathered here do not expect a miracle, all they want is some closure.
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