| Every morning, I wake up thinking they will come home’: Mother's agony | | Kishtwar Cloudburst | |  Sanjay Pandita/Sandeep Bhat
Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 20: While hope battles despair with each passing hour in the debris-strewn landscape of Choshiti village, Krishna Devi, sits with eyes fixed on the horizon, clutching a faded photograph of her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson at Digiana.
Six days have passed since the devastating cloudburst of August 14 swept away her entire world, yet this grief-stricken mother refuses to abandon hope.
The 33-year-old Sahil Sharma, along with his wife Lovely, 30, and their three-year-old son Raghav, remains missing after the natural disaster struck Choshiti village in Kishtwar district. The family from Digiana locality in Jammu city had embarked on what was meant to be a spiritual journey to Machail Mata Yatra, never knowing it would become a voyage into tragedy.
For Krishna Devi, widow of the late Mohan Lal Sharma, this catastrophe represents an unbearable second blow in mere months. Having lost her beloved husband just recently, she now faces the unthinkable possibility of losing her only son, the sole male heir among her five children and the pillar of strength for his four sisters.
"Every morning I wake up thinking they will come home," Krishna Devi whispers, her voice barely audible above the sounds. Her weathered hands tremble as she speaks of Sahil, describing him as not just her son, but the family's guardian who took care of everyone after his father's passing.
The cruel irony is not lost on those who know the family's story. Sahil, who had shouldered the responsibility of caring for his mother and four sisters after becoming the family's patriarch, is now the subject of a desperate search operation.
Little Raghav, who had celebrated his third birthday just months ago, was on his first pilgrimage, his innocent laughter now just an echo in his grandmother's memory.
Lovely Sharma, the young mother who had become Krishna Devi's closest companion after her son's marriage, is remembered by neighbors as a devoted daughter-in-law who brought joy and stability to the household during their recent period of mourning.
Search and rescue teams continue their relentless efforts despite challenging terrain and weather conditions. While authorities acknowledge that the chances of survival diminish with each passing day, they remain committed to the operation, understanding that for families like Krishna Devi's, hope is all that remains.
Local residents and relatives maintain a vigil alongside the bereaved mother, offering support and prayers. The Digiana community, where the Sharma family has deep roots, has rallied together, with neighbors taking turns to comfort Krishna Devi during her darkest hours.
As rescue operations continue in the treacherous terrain of Choshiti village, Krishna Devi's ordeal stands as a testament to a mother's unwavering love and the devastating human cost of natural disasters. In her eyes burns an unquenchable hope that somehow, somewhere, her son's family survived nature's fury and will return to fill the silence that now haunts their home.
The cloudburst of August 14 has claimed several lives and left many families shattered, but perhaps none more poignantly than that of Krishna Devi, whose world has been reduced to a photograph and an endless wait for the return of those who meant everything to her. |
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