Malappuram: They gathered once again in the schoolyard, but this time for a farewell no one had ever imagined. From across Kerala, people arrived in a steady stream, hoping for one last glimpse of the teachers and staff of Pang schools who lost their lives in the Valparai tragedy.
Grief spread like a shadow, turning the quiet campus of Ambalaparmbu Government High School into a place of collective mourning. Thousands stood in silence. Many broke down as they paid their final respects.
After the postmortem at the Government Hospital in Pollachi was completed by 4 am on Saturday, the bodies were transported to Kerala under Tamil Nadu police escort. By 9.00 am, they were placed for public homage at Ambalaparmbu Government High School. In death, as in life, they remained together.
The mortal remains of Pang Palliparambhu LPS headmistress Ajitha, 54, teachers Ramla, 52, Suhara, 43, Asha, 41, and Majeed, 43, school cook Sajitha, 45, Shakeena, 37, a teacher at GUP School Paangu, Rukhiya, 39, wife of Majeed, and Suhara's son Hisham were laid out for the public to bid farewell.
As the ambulances arrived one after another, the school grounds turned into a space of unbearable sorrow. Grief hung heavy in the air. Some wept uncontrollably, while others sat frozen, unable to comprehend the magnitude of the loss.
Among them were students of GLPS Kuruva. Their faces reflected confusion and heartbreak as they waited to see their teachers one last time. The very people who had guided their first lessons now lay motionless before them.
Shafin Jahan, a Class 3 student, stood among the crowd with swollen, tear-filled eyes. He was meant to go on the trip along with his mother Raseena, an LKG teacher at the school.
"The teachers had been talking about the trip for many days. We were also supposed to go, like every year. But my mother had some family matters, so we couldn't go this time," he said softly.
"All the teachers, except Shakeena teacher, taught us over the years. Since my mother is a teacher there, they would often come home. We were waiting for our exam results. Next year, we would have been the seniors. We were all excited to return to school. I don't know how we will go back to an empty school," he said, his voice breaking.
Men, women and even small children waited for hours under the scorching sun for a final glimpse of their beloved teachers. Some fainted in the heat and were rushed to temporary medical camps set up by the health department. Yet, the crowd did not thin. People continued to pour in until the gates were finally closed.
"All my children studied at Pang LP School. Majeed sir, his wife Rukhiya, Ajitha teacher, Ramla teacher. they were not just teachers, they were part of our lives. We will wait as long as it takes to see them one last time," said Safna, a local resident, her voice trembling.
By 11.40 am, after the public homage, the bodies were handed over to the respective families.
Even as the mourning continued, anxiety spread through the crowd as news emerged that Sajitha's son, Shahadhin, who was injured in the accident, had taken a turn for the worse. Close relatives immediately left for Pollachi. Meanwhile, the condition of non-teaching staff member Noushad, Shakeena's daughter Masneen, and van driver Mohammed Fasith remained unchanged.
