Thrissur: Himanshu, a North Indian boy who was affected by the flood in Uttarakhand last year, gratefully remembers the Malayali travelers who extended a helping hand to him. The pilgrim group also felt contented as they could help a little boy who lost everything in the flood.

Now Himanshu has his own house and studies in Navodaya. His life has totally changed after meeting the pilgrims group from Kerala. The group came to Triyuginarayan village for visiting the temple on their way to Kedarnath. The team consisting of former Educational Deputy Director Chithran Namboodirippad visited a government primary school nearby during the trip.

8-year-old Himanshu was the pet of the school. His father Prasad was working in a tea shop. He used to help his father by bringing firewood from the forest. He would get Rs 10 for a bundle of firewood, which he would give to his mother. He was struck by the flood while he was inside the forest. After 3 days of struggle and starvation, Himanshu reached back to see his father missing and the shop destroyed. He came to his school with his mother Rakshmi. Because they had no other place to go.

When they heard his story, the pilgrim group helped him by sponsoring the expense for his education. After reaching Thrissur, Chithran Namboodirippad wrote a letter to the then defence minister A. K. Antony requesting him to intervene. Thus Himanshu got Rs 6 lakhs from the government, which he used to build a house. An Ernakulam native, among the pilgrim group, sent an amount of money to Himanshu regularly.

The pilgrims visit Himanshu and his mother at Triyuginarayan village every year. They inform him the date and time of their arrival through letter. This time when they met Himanshu, he seemed smarter than before. Now he is in class 6 in Navodaya school. His eyes turn teary when he meets the Malayali travelers group who helped to regain his life. The travelers also consider his happiness as the biggest virtue of their pilgrimage.