One year after the tragedy, Malin breaks down again

Around 9 am, the survivors and villagers began making their presence felt at the spot where their near and dear ones were buried because of a mudslide on the fateful day. Even as homage was paid and speaker after speaker offered condolences, several survivors broke down. Some wept silently close to the spot where the mudslide occurred, others stood rooted to the ground and stared blankly under a dark, cloudy horizon that underscored the solemnity of the occasion.

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It was difficult to spot a soul who did not wear a stunned look or had red moist eyes.

Thursday saw the end of a year since Kamaji Pote (65) lost six members of his family in the devastating landslide. As he prepared to get ready for the remembrance service to be held in the erstwhile village square of Malin, Pote could hardly control his tears. “Everything was over in 10 seconds, I did not even have time to realise what happened,” said Pote, as he broke down while recalling the last moments with his family.

Unlike Pote, who quickly reached the spot, Pallavi Zanjare stood at a distance and had tears running down her face. “I have lost my aaji, ajoba, mama, mami…their children,” she said as she moved ahead to have a closer look at the spot where the officials have planned a “Smruti Van.” On Thursday, the politicians gathered and took the first initiative to plant a few saplings at the spot.

The Pote family which is now housed in temporary sheds constructed for the survivors near Malin Phata, besides grief also has something to cheer about. Theirs was the only family amongst the survivors which saw the birth of a new child post the landslide. Barely a month old Anushka was born to Mathura, the wife of Laxman Pote- one of the surviving sons of Pote. His other son Raju, has lost his family including two grown up daughters. Incidentally, Anushka was the first newborn in all of Malin and like her parents continues to live in the temporary sheds waiting for a permanent home.

As the the extended family (many of whom had traveled from Pune to take part in the memorial service) gathered around the newborn baby, the question of survival and rehabilitation was foremost amongst them.

Usha Pote, another daughter-in-law of the house, has completed her post graduation degree but is not able to find a job. Although Kamaji has received the compensation nothing concrete has happened about the final rehabilitation package. “When it rains water gets inside our sheds, we have to go far to get water,” he said.

The village also marked the first death since the landslide when Ranabai Zanzare had died a few months ago due to prolonged illness. Zanzare was the next door neighbour of Pote both in the village and the temporary shed.

The survivors spoke in one voice about their basic needs and criticised any attempt to change the identity of Malin to Ambde — which was quickly negated by MLA Dilip Walse-Patil. Kailash Zanzare, a villager, spoke about how the villagers are looking toward the rebirth of their village, an opinion shared by others.

The meeting was attended by former tribal development minister Madhukar Pichad, Ambegaon MLA Dilip Walse-Patil and also a host of government officials and elected representatives. Walse-Patil, while giving a brief overview of the work being undertaken cautioned the villagers from what he called “splurging the relief money on non-essential things. I have heard stories about how some of you have started buying vehicles and other things. The money you have got is for the future generation, try and preserve it,” he said.