Wayanad was waiting on its wings to fly after tourism and the real estate saw spectacular growth in Kerala’s mountainous northern district. Wealthy tea estates and plantation owners wasted no time to reap the rich dividends of the boom. Thus, tea leaves and giant swings began to exist side by side in the formidable Western Ghat.
Youths in Kerala did not hide their new-found love for Wayanad and flocked in large numbers to its hill stations youths. Its proximity to Tamil Nadu and Karnataka found echo in two neighboring states.
The locals were dreaming of a better life compared with their parents. But they were caught napping when the landslide hit them in the wee hours of July 30 in which 396 people lost their lives and hundreds are still missing.
Joseph Benny visited Wayanad on August 4. All the photos are taken by him.
Joseph Benny is a journalist
