A WIFE RISKS HER LIFE

On a misty February morning in 2025, retired police officer and part-time farmer Ramesan Nair E.K. and his wife, P.K. Padmam, made their way across their plot of land in a small town called Piravom in southern India, where they had joined relatives to harvest black pepper.

- Adila Matra

Soon, Ramesan, a fit 64-year-old, was climbing atop a Mexican lilac tree, poised precariously close to the family well. He plucked peppers from the vines that wound around its trunk, while Padmam, 56, worked nearby.

Then a sharp cracking sound pierced the quiet morning. The branch beneath Ramesan snapped, and he lost his balance. He plunged into the 40-foot well below, striking his head and back against the wall on the way down.

Padmam heard the crash, then the terrifying splash. She rushed to the well and peered down into the blackness.

She called her husband's name. His faint voice echoed back-he was all right.