Dehradun, Helping out in the Kerala floods is a team of volunteers from the Doon Buddhist Committee in the valley which has been holding medical camps and restoring Buddhist Stupas in the region.
Headed under the able-hands of Tenzin Luding, his wife Dr. Diki Bhutia from Sikkim , Nawang Chhogial and Lucky Gaikwad the team has been working on war footing from the very first day they landed in Gods Own Country.
On the 3rd of September, the day, the team arrived in Kerala, they held three medical camps until the the 8th of September. They visited areas which were worse affected and could only be accessed by boats such as the villages in Kuttanadu, Kavalam and Allapuza District. The team also distributed books and stationery amongst teachers and students of the flood affected area.
Along with this, they got in touch with members of Abhayaloka Buddhist Community Kerala and Kerala Buddhist Council in Karumadikuttan, Ambalapuzzha, a small village near Allapuzha (Alleppey). Famous for its Black Granite Idol of Lord Buddha, it is also known as Karumadikuttan, as it is enclosed in a Pagoda like structure, and dates back to the 9th and 10th Century. Located on the banks of the Punnamada Lake in Alleppey, this temple is the living symbol of an ancient civilization and belief that flourished in the State.
When disaster struck, the ancient Stupa was submerged entirely in the flood waters. The team painstakingly restored, painted and cleaned up the historical stupa giving it a new lease of life.
Talking to Newpost, Tenzin Luding tells us, “There is so much to do and so much that we have accomplished. It is heart breaking to see what devastation that the floods brought but it is also endearing to see the spirit of humanity and compassion amongst the people here.“
