Kerala hooch tragedy: Debilitated, Kuttippuram victim rues being alive
Now the only income for the family is the meagre wage his wife and daughter earn
By : harigovind
Update: 2014-10-16 04:59 GMT
Kozhikode: It was on September 5, 2010 that 26 persons died after consuming hooch and six persons lost their vision in Kuttippuram near Malappuram. Two of the six. Thekkethil Balan, 52, a construction worker and Cholayil Kavil Balan, 70, a daily wage labourer who live at Perashannur near Valanchery, still curse that day. Though they got government compensation, their life is not on track.
Recalling that fateful day, Thekkethil Balan said, “Usually when the work was too heavy, I used to drink a bit. I only remember the first glass I drank. When I woke up, it was complete darkness,” he said.
Though he was taken to the hospital immediately, he lost his sight and partially lost his hearing and speaking ability. Balan was the only earning member of his family consisting of his wife Suma and four daughters. Since he still takes medicines and goes for periodic check-ups, his neighbours have built a road to his home, which is on the top of a hill.
Now the only income for the family is the meagre wage his wife and daughter earn from a nearby plastic product factory. “I should have died along with the other 26 persons. Why should I remain as a burden to my family,” he asked.
It was Cholayil Kavil Balan’s friends who forced him to drink toddy that day. He felt dizziness that evening, but by early morning he started vomiting and lost his sight completely. Balan still drinks occasionally, but only ‘branded ones.’
“One of my friends who was taken along with me to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital died in the hospital,” Balan recalled.