A NALLA AYALKKARAN FROM PANNIYARKUTTY | KAIROS GLOBAL | FEBRUARY 2021

Author: Poornima Sony

Intro: Poornima Sony writes about the deluge-swallowed village of Panniyarkutty and one man’s dream for its survivors

This may read as a fairy-tale but in fact is the story of a man who became a Nalla Ayalkkaran (good neighbour) to many. For a people, pain-weary, desolate and stumbling in the darkness, this is the story of those who brought the light of hope. In the midst of tragedy that engulfed a lifetime’s work and effort, this is the story of the faithful, ever present love of God. For combatants for goodness, moving towards their goal’s seemingly impossible summit on wings of fire, this is a story of extraordinary fulfilment.

The flood that devastated Kerala in August 2018, following unprecedented heavy monsoon rain, was the worst in nearly a century. Yet, the tone of resilience resounded all around. 

Our story takes place in Panniyarkutty – a small village in the hilly district of Idukki, in India’s southern state of Kerala. On August 24, 2018, an entire hill came down in a flash and buried the whole village of Panniyarkutty, virtually wiping it out. All that made up the village vanished in the blink of an eye. Today Panniyarkutty is a mere memory. Lost houses, forlorn lives, pain-wrought hearts, inundated eyes, life stands as a fiasco before the people of Panniyarkutty. 

Saji Panniyarkutty – a young man responding to a call from God rewrote the destiny of nine families. He too had lost his home, hopes and dreams in the same flood. Yet, the pain and anguish of his fellow survivors gave rise to a dream – the construction of Marian Valley. 

It was in response to the deluge and to reach out to rain-ravaged lives, Jesus Youth started the Nalla Ayalkkaran project. As part of it, twelve villages across Kerala were adopted for a period of one year to help the villagers get back to normal living, one of which was Panniyarkutty. Saji was the person heading the Nalla Ayalkkaran team at Panniyarkutty. During the initial days of the floods more than three hundred Nalla Ayalkkaran volunteers from all over Kerala reached Panniyarkutty and got involved in the rescue and relief operations there. With the financial assistance that came in from Jesus Youth across the globe, rehabilitation of many people could take place in all the twelve villages. 

My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). This Word of God comes alive here. Pradeep (a Jesus Youth in UK), who hailed from Uzhavoor¹ made a turning point in the realisation of this project. He had a one-acre plot of land in Uzhavoor, inherited from his parents, which he decided to donate. Raiju and the team from Nalla Ayalkkaran, came forward to support and take this further. The plan of action was drawn – selecting the families, making the layout, raising finance, etc. But the execution of the project did not come easy. Due to the geographical layout of the land, it could not be easily divided into ten plots. Many engineers were consulted regarding the scope of construction and finally a solution began to emerge.

By the grace of the Holy Spirit who arranges for happy meetings, the project was able to proceed with the help of a revenue department official, who happened to be the brother of the procurator of Mutholy² monastery. More than eleven lakh rupees (USD fifteen thousand) was spent for the earth works. God also brought Soman Theruvil to the team. Though a non-Christian, along with his empathic and secular vision, he became a strong pillar of the project. During a gathering Saji shared about this project with Sabi, a JY from Kannur and through him met his Regional Manager, Joseph (a JY from Calicut) of the Faisal and Shabana Foundation, a philanthropy foundation that provides humanitarian aid and assistance. 

Awarding the contract for construction was another bigger issue. Many of the contractors who were approached for this project deemed it inviable. Due to the lack of a proper road leading to the property, loading and unloading of materials would be a herculean task. But God brings the right people at the right time and Xavier was appointed contractor for the project. However there still remained the hurdle of laying a proper road for material transportation. It was here that the tireless work – be it day or night – of JY volunteers paved a joyful path for Marian Valley. Jissmon, Ajo, Dinu, and Alexy became full-time support to realise the project. Pradeep’s whole family supported the team, spiritually with prayers and as helping hands. This project became a tool of evangelisation for the locals when the road was extended to other houses nearby, who didn’t have direct road access. 

There were a lot of ambassadors of God who helped the project on its year-and-a-half journey. They came as financial supporters, prayer partners, free helpers, many offered food and shelter. The area MLA Mr. Mani C Kappan visited the site and appreciated the good work. The project was christened ‘Marian Valley’ by Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt during the blessing ceremony and the Pala Diocese Social Service Society donated one lakh for each house of the project.

Many Jesus Youth have come forward to offer monthly support towards the debts of this project.  And today, Saji – the Nalla Ayalkkaran from Idukki boldly says that all things are possible through the grace of Jesus Christ.  

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established (Proverbs 16:3). 

^{1, 2} Uzhavoor and Mutholy are places in India’s southern state of Kerala.

Poornima Sony is an aspiring writer and an artist. She is currently pursuing her BTech in civil engineering from Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology, Kottayam, South India.