Star swimmer’s family kept flood news away from him
The family of Indian swimmer Sajan Prakash kept news of a devastating flood in his home state of Kerala away from him so it did not affect his Asian Games performance, the 24-year-old said yesterday. The first Indian swimmer to reach an Asiad final in 32 years, Prakash clocked 1 minute and 57.75 seconds — a national record but 3.22 seconds behind champion Seto Daiya — to finish fifth in the men’s 200 metres butterfly final on Sunday.
‘I didn’t know about the event because my mother kept the news away from me,’ Prakash said at the Gelora Bung Karno Aquatic Centre. ‘I swam my best but unfortunately I missed out ... I’m upset because I have been preparing for this event for the last one year without any break.’ Media reports in India said five members of his family in Kerala briefly went missing. His mother, who stays in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu, said Prakash kept calling her to inquire about family members after learning about the flood.
‘I could not contact others [to share the news of making the final] ... My uncle from Dubai said everybody is safe,’ Prakash said.
Fishermen refuse Rs3,000 payout for saving lives
A leader of the fishermen, who have won widespread praise by rescuing hundreds from the Kerala floods, on Monday refused to accept Rs3,000 offered to each member of the community by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Khais Mohammad from Fort Kochi said in a video post that he and his colleagues were happy to hear the words of praise from the chief minister for the role they played in going to the remotest areas amid pouring rain and dangerous waters to rescue the marooned.
‘We are really happy that I and my friends rescued several people. What made us happier was when you said that we [fishermen] are your army.
‘But after that we heard that for our services we will be paid Rs3,000. Sir, that made us really sad as we do not want money for saving the lives of fellow humans,’ Mohammad said.
He, however, added that all the fishermen were happy that the government had promised to repair their damaged boats free of cost.
Tamil Nadu girl wins hearts for donating Rs9,000
At a time where every penny sent to Kerala is significant, a nine-year-old girl from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu has won hearts on social media for her generosity.
The girl named Anupriya donated Rs9,000 (Dh473.21) to the victims of the flood-stricken state of Kerala. According to a tweet that went viral, she had saved the money in the last four years to buy herself a bicycle.
Tweep @Ethirajans posted: ‘Kid, Anupriya from Viluppuram district, Tamil Nadu, donates Rs9,000 — her four years savings ... to buy a bicycle — towards #KeralaFloodRelief. @narendramodi @ HMOIndia @CMOTamilNadu’
@Grubzon added: ‘I have tears in my eyes. This little girl has more humanity than most grown up people in the world.’
A bicycle manufacturing company saw offered her a new cycle.
Teen ends life after rains destroy school certificates
A 19-year-old man allegedly committed suicide in on finding that his Class 12 certificates were damaged in the devastation caused by monsoon in Kozhikode district, police said.
Kailash had obtained admission for a course in the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) and had purchased new clothes and set apart some money for higher studies, they said.
As the rains abated, he returned home yesterday to take a look at the house and was shocked to find his plus two certificates soaked in water and in tatters.
After flood havoc, Kerala focuses on three ‘R’s
Kerala has traditionally led India on the three ‘R’s, namely reading, writing and arithmetic, becoming the first Indian state to be totally literate in the early 1990s. Now, after massive floods wrecked homes, buildings and roads, ruining the lives and livelihoods of tens of thousands of people along the way, the state will focus on a different set of three ‘R’s, namely relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction. ”.