Over a week on, a Kerala mother’s agonising wait for her son who went missing at sea continues
A grieving mother in Kerala is protesting to demand an intensified search for her son, who went missing after a boat capsized near Neendakara. She has criticized the lack of operational readiness and swimming expertise among the initial responders.
Why it matters
The incident highlights critical gaps in coastal emergency response infrastructure and the emotional toll of bureaucratic delays in search and rescue operations.
The damp earth in front of Reshma’s house in Puthanthura holds two fresh burial mounds, brightened only by the vivid yellow of marigold flowers. Beneath them lie her 76-year-old father, Rajeevan, and her 48-year-old husband Radhakrishnan -- two lives claimed by the sea in the same morning. As she stands between the graves, her eyes remain fixed on the horizon, waiting for news of her missing 26-year-old son, Gautam.
Their boat ‘Miomi’ had capsized near Neendakara on the morning of July 31, just metres from the shore. While her father died on the spot and her husband’s body was recovered the following day, Gautam remains lost to the waves, leaving the remaining family members in an agonising uncertainty.
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