Thrissur pooram returned, but they didn’t

Majestic elephants and drumbeats have returned. Though in a toned-down form, Thrissur Pooram is back to life. But an unending tide of grief continues to ripple through those homes. In those houses, Pooram did not arrive this year.

Their beloved ones — who worked passionately, day and night, to light up the Pooram — are no longer with them. Victims of devastating Mundathikode firework unit explosion, they literally lived for this festival, risking their lives, dreaming of making the Thrissur Pooram fireworks truly spectacular.