Thursday, July 21 2005 12:58 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kumbakonam: A year after 94 children perished in a devastating school fire here, grief is as intense as ever in their parents, who remember the dead by giving their names to newborn babies. But the town's fire service remains as bad as it was on that fateful day.

"Putrasokam (death of our children) is haunting us. We don't know when we will come out of it," is the response of the parents when this correspondent met them here.

Parents want to remember their dead child. Some want to adopt a child and name her or him after the dead one. Some have given birth to another child and named him or her after the departed one.

Reverse Family Planning Operations had been done to all the parents who wanted to have kids. "We are also closely monitoring the mother's health and are trying our best to provide all the medical help to the parents who want a baby," said Kumaresan, a health department official.

The people have chosen many ways to recall the memories of the dead children. At Natham village, a memorial pillar containing the names of their 13 children, who died in the fire tragedy, has been installed.

While families of the fire victims are financially better off now, with each of them getting about Rs 2.65 lakh as solatium from various quarters, including government and charities, each house remains enveloped in grief.

The death of his child totally changed the character of Kannan who was addicted to vices. "That is how I remember my child," he said.

Six children who suffered grievous burn injuries with ingrained scars, despite a series of plastic surgeries, are more grief-stricken and worried about their future.

On July 16, the people of Kumbakonam kept their stoves switched off between 10:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. to pay respect to the children who died due to fire caused by a kitchen stove of the school.

In Nagapattinam town, the children are being remembered by planting different kinds of roses. The parents of the fire victim themselves contributed Rs 1.13 lakh towards tsunami relief to observe the death anniversary of their children.

In Kumbakonam town, 94 trees had been planted in memory of the children. The local civic body has proposed to build a park in memory of the children and passed a resolution for the same.

Silent processions, offering of flowers at memorials of the children also marked the first anniversary of the incident on July 16 when the usually busy temple town had fallen silent in the morning. The cemetery, where some children had been buried, was visited by scores of people who paid homage.

People in Natham have also got a school for their children. Thanks to the efforts of former district Collector Radhakrishnan who endeared himself by his genuine show of compassion.

The children of the school gather in front of the Memorial pillar every day to pay homage and prayer for their friends killed in the tragedy.

Most of the parents in Natham and Palakarai, from where 22 children died in the accident, are jobless. The Collector Veera Shanmuga Moni has merely assured to look into all their grievances.

Even as the people remember the fire tragedy, the Fire Service Wing in the town remained as poorly equipped as it was on the same day last year.

A plea for better fire fighting equipments and vehicles is gathering dust in the offices.