Grieving headmaster mourns students lost in Wayanad landslides

The wreckage of the school, where Unnikrishnan is the headmaster, was among the first visuals that came out of Mundakkai after the disaster hit.

Days after a series of catastrophic landslides tore through the Mundakkai region of Wayanad claiming the lives of hundreds of its residents, Unnikrishnan, the headmaster of the Vellarimala school, which was badly affected by the disaster, summoned the courage to visit his beloved school.

As soon as Unni ‘mash’, as he was dearly called by everyone, set eyes on the pile of rubble, which the area had turned into, he collapsed, unable to withstand the heart-rending sight.

“We had taught these kids not to harm nature, and they also took part in conservation efforts. But nature ultimately took them away,” he was seen talking to reporters.

Mr. Unni has been working with the same school for the past 18 years.

“We used to come to the school at 7.30 a.m. every day. Is there any government school in Kerala that starts so early? We used to sit here and teach,” he said, pointing to the area next to the river, unable to control his sobbing.

The double-storeyed school building that once stood majestically along the riverbank, set against a picturesque landscape, at Vellarimala near Meppadi here, now lies in ruins.

The wreckage of the school was among the first visuals that came out of the Mundakkai, which was hit by the recent catastrophic landslide.