On September 5, S. Rajani, a homemaker from Perunad in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district visited Laha, a nearby tribal settlement, along with her husband and son. They were carrying about 100 packets of freshly cooked rice and vegetable curry carefully packed in plantain leaves and wrapped in newspapers.
The meals were for less privileged children living in dilapidated homes. When they received the packets, their smiles made memories come rushing to Rajani. She thought of her daughter Abhiramai, who would’ve turned 13 this year, and her eyes welled up.
The day marked the child’s first death anniversary. Abhirami sustained a stray dog bite when she was fetching milk from a home nearby. She succumbed to rabies, one of 27 people who died in 2022. A year on, Rajani’s pain has not abated. Loud dog barks send shivers down her spine, drowning her in the agonising memories of her daughter’s painful end.
