Chendamangalam is a quiet village abutting river Periyar about 50 KM from Kochi city. Home to famous namesake handloom products and fishing nets. Hundreds of farmers, fishermen, daily wage earners living side by side. All but changed during the dreadful floods of 2018. The entire village was submerged underwater for days. The handloom Industry, which Chendamangalam was famous for, was destroyed. So many farmers’ livelihood was deeply affected. Several houses collapsed or were severely damaged. When few of us visited during December, we could see almost all houses with flood creases at the level of the window or higher. But we later realised that the scars left on the lives of people were even deeper.

Why did we visit this village so far away from the City? A little background will help. NITCAA/RECCAA Club was very active in flood relief activities – running collection centres, delivering essentials to affected areas, cleaning wells, etc. There were still contributions coming in from members.  NITCAA Cochin Chapter President at the time, Mr. Mohandas suggested utilizing that fund to build two houses for flood relief victims. RECCAA Club readily agreed to pitch in as well. Next step was identifying beneficiaries. We decided to go the official route and seek the help of Dist. Collector. We were hoping to build houses at adjacent locations with good highway access and near the city! Collector simply answers to the effect – Worst of flood-affected will be in the far-flung remotest inaccessible part of the district and that’s were people need help. This was a moment of realisation that our priority should be beneficiary and not our convenience. We adhered to this principle for the entire project. Chendamangalam it is.

Beneficiaries:  Amina and Bindu (names changed for anonymity) are two elderly widows, whose lives changed irreversibly during floods. Amina’s husband passed away due to some ailment, during the flood. Their kutcha house was fully submerged and made it unstable to live in. Bindu was living in a makeshift house which was completely damaged. Both shifted to their relatives for shelter. With no income, no real help or the ability to manage house construction, we felt they are the ones who need support and we decided to build a house for them. A third beneficiary was a single daily wage-earning mother planning her daughter’s wedding, in a house with leaky roof and terrible sanitation.  We decided to pick up that repair too.  Our choice of beneficiaries was fully embraced by the local community – after all they knew their conditions very well. We were happy that we fulfilled our implicit promise to our donors – that their hard-earned money will go to most deserved.

Community Participation:   The first work at the site was clearing the ground and pulling down the existing dilapidated structure. So, when a local ward member informed me that there will be people to help, I never expected so much enthusiasm. Almost half the village turned up! There were workers, youths, neighbours and well-wishers pitching in – demolishing, stacking bricks, rerouting power lines and preparing food. This was just a sample of sincere involvement of the community towards this project. Temporary road access to the site, Debris disposal, Gravel for fillings were some of the other examples, people helped without any return expectation.  This was a community ravaged by the flood and livelihood of many people were in distress. So, we made a conscious decision to use local labour and businesses to the extent possible, thus helping their revival.  The response was amazing. Local labours and contractors were not only economical, but their sincerity and dedication were reflected in the quality of their work.  In effect, we could help not just two beneficiaries but many more.

Houses built by Engineers:   Glad to say that all the stages – Architecture, Planning, and estimate, Construction, guidance was available from the experienced members of NITCAA.  Just to name two, Er. Mohandas pretty much did the structural design, while Er. Darryl was the go-to person on interior fittings. Several others helped for execution at various stages. The quality of work was never compromised. We built these houses as if; we would be willing to live in them! I think the result speaks for itself.

Charity could be as simple as handing out money to those who cry in front of you. However, a meaningful charity that could make a lasting difference. But it needs a vision, dedication to follow through and participation of many other than donor and receiver. I believe this project rightfully falls into this category and hope these experiences will help more such programs. NIT Calicut not only produced great Engineers but also a group of generous and altruistic fraternity, who believe in giving back to society. This program is a prime example.

NITCAA Homes is another testament of NITCAA’s commitment toward society in the hours of need. Entire organisation and its members, RECCAA Club and several others contributed immensely for the success of this project. All the three houses  and its beneficiaries stand proudly proclaiming this worthy endeavor.