Opinion

Kerala is battling a three-frontal war: against flood, fund-crunch and fake news

As the muddy waters now recede from flood-stricken Kerala, one remembers the reactions this tragedy evoked.

 

What is more tragic than lakhs of human lives stuck in a crisis that has killed hundreds of innocent civilians, displaced many and almost drowned an entire state? The lack of empathy towards those who are suffering. The Kerala Flood was an example of this tragic mentality. “The question is should we help Beef Eaters of Kerala who slaughters cows which we pray?” asked one of the Twitter user in response to the call for lending a helping hand to the flood-ravaged southern state. This indifference towards the fellow Indian citizens just because of their choice of food is nothing short of demonic.

However, this is not the only instance. There were also many people implicating that the Kerala floods were lord Ayappa’s way of punishing the Keralites for fighting to allow women in Sabarimala temple- the case for which is under sub-judicial. To make it much worse, the newly appointed RBI director, S Gurumurthy even opined that the Supreme Court should consider whether there is any connection between Sabarimala and the floods. What can we expect out of the impervious lot if a celebrated economist himself is furthering an unscientific and dangerous propaganda?

The insensitive “God’s wrath” and “Divine justice” cabal didn’t even spare a thought for innocent children who might have just stepped into this world or the helpless elderly who are among the most vulnerable in the society. The hate for Kerala further extends to the Muslim and Christian community of the state. Referring to these communities, some even went on to an extent to legitimize their bigotry stating that the fellow citizens shouldn’t help the flood victims as “more than half of the state is Muslim or Christian”. An Indian sitting in a democratic country wishing the death of an entire state holds a mirror to the vulture society that we are becoming.

Just like the flood waters of Kerala brought out many snakes, the tragedy brought out many hate-spewing individuals that revealed the venomous side of humanity- the one that does not even shudder at the thought of celebrating the deaths of our own.

But this is not the only battle Kerala is fighting. The state is also fighting the fake news attack in the wake of calamity. The two such fake news was busted recently. In one of the videos, a man dressed in an army uniform was seen claiming that the state government is not letting the army in the state to carry out the rescue operation. When several social media users pointed it out, the official army twitter handle clarified that it was a fake news by an imposter. In another audio, a man is seen claiming that the flood has only affected the rich and the state doesn’t need more help. However, these are the only two instances that were more apparent. Not to forget the number of videos of the flood that are doing round in the name of Kerala flood only inciting widespread panic.

Kerala

With the damage that amounts to more than 20,000 crores, the flood-ravaged state needs humongous monetary help. However, the centre’s help of fewer than 1000 crores has left the state in a situation of fund-crunch. The help pouring in from across the corners of the world might not suffice to rebuild the state and rehabilitate worst-affected population. The state is fighting the three-frontal war. The war against the natural calamity, against the fund-crunch and against the fake news.

As the muddy waters now recede from flood-stricken Kerala, one remembers the reactions this tragedy evoked. The Kerala Flood brought forward both good and bad side of humanity. The bad side showed us that the propaganda machinery has even numbed our conscience. On the other hand, the good side showed how humane the humans can be. From soldiers carrying out the dangerous rescue operations, fishermen saving the lives with a boatload of courage or the strangers that came together to help each other blurring the distinction of their caste, religion, creed or class- help restore our faith in humanity.

Dear Readers,
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.

Related posts