Ground Zero Report: In Padder, a mother’s last words became a son’s lifeline

Chisoti (Padder), Aug 20: For 22-year-old Mandeep Singh, every word is a struggle. Born with a neurological disorder that leaves him stammering, he often depends on his mother to speak for him.

In the fore-noon of August 14, her last words became both his shield and his deepest wound. Tulsi Devi, 50, who ran a small roadside stall selling maize bread and vegetables to pilgrims in Chisoti village, insisted her son return home to eat before resuming work.

Minutes later, a cloudburst sent raging waters and debris crashing through the village, washing away the stall and Tulsi Devi with it.

“The decision saved her son’s life, but cost her own,” said a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Pracharak (helper), Balraj from Alholi village of Padder.

Balraj was among the first rescue volunteers who reached the village along with other Karikartas (activists).

They saved several pilgrims and locals.

Mandeep’s voice quivers as he recalls the moment.

“She told me to have lunch first and then come back. I wish I had stayed. If Bhagwan wanted to take her, He should have taken me too,” he said.

The stall where mother and son worked side by side was swept into Bud Nallah, a tributary of the mighty Chenab River.

Witnesses said Tulsi Devi was buried under the debris and carried away by the floodwaters, and her remains are missing.

Mandeep’s father, Masti Ram, a daily-wage labourer, was away at work.

His elder sister, married in nearby Haku village, survived along with her children.

Their modest home narrowly escaped the waters, but the family lost its anchor.

“She was my only support,” Mandeep said, his eyes brimming. “She understood my language better than anyone, even though I stammer. Now I have nowhere to go.”