A Rise From The Rubble

After the devastating fire at Udhayasuriyan Nagar, efforts are being taken by neighbours and Vyasai Thozhargal to help residents restart their lives from scratch

- Diya Maria George

DURING a catastrophe, what matters the most isn't always monetary or materialistic support. It's the humanitarian assistance that is vital. In Udhayasuriyan Nagar, Vyasarpadi, when a fire broke out on May 26, spreading rampantly, and turned around 24 houses into ruins in no time, this kind of support came not from far-off institutions, but from within neighbours, friends, and a tuition centre, Thozhargal.

Vyasai Residents and police inquiries suspect that a gas leak from the locality could have propelled the fire; others blame faulty wiring. However, confirmed data hasn't been released yet; the investigation is underway. What everyone remembers vividly is how fast the flame spread on to the branches and leaves and now, these blackened branches hang upon the lanes, roofs collapsed; belongings turned to ashes. There wasn't enough time to react.

"What do the working class really have?" asked Sarath Kumar G, a volunteer with Vyasai Thozhargal. "Our house is our only asset. When it burns, we are bound to start from zero.

That's not just a loss - that's erasure." The disaster left many families with just the clothes they had on.

The fire didn't spare anyone -renters, single mothers, children, daily-wage workers. Kanaga came back from her work at around 5.30 pm just to find out that her house had exploded to dust. "Everything was gone even the floor had turned black," she recalled.

The same night, survivors were moved to a relief camp at Udhayasuriyan Nagar Government School. Sarath said, "We called officials, Welfare Department officers, and even some Communist party representatives." That evening, local MLA RD Shekhar visited with revenue and administrative officials.