Wayanad: “If something happens to me, don’t let my soul wander between two graves.” Those were Rajamma’s words--part warning, part plea--shared with her children long before the Mundakkai–Chooralmala landslide claimed her life on July 30 last year. It took nine months, but on Friday, Anilkumar fulfilled his mother Rajamma’s wish, reuniting her remains from two separate graves into one final resting place.

Rajamma, a plantation worker at the Vanarani Estate and a resident of School Road, was buried under debris when the landslide hit Mundakkai. While other family members narrowly escaped, her body was recovered in fragments. Her remains, initially unidentifiable, were eventually assigned two separate code numbers, N-34 and N-213, and buried in two different graves. It took over a month to identify the fragmented remains through DNA testing.

Determined to honour her final wish, Anilkumar spent the next nine months petitioning officials for permission to rebury the remains together. A team of DYFI youth brigade volunteers, led by District Secretary K M Francis and President K Jithin, assisted him in the effort. And finally, following a Malayala Manorama report on June 24 that drew public attention, Mananthavady Sub Collector Misal Sagar Bharath ordered that the remains be reburied together.

At 11 am on Friday, the two graves were opened. The remains from N-213 were exhumed and reburied in N-34, now marked with a headstone bearing Rajamma’s name. The reburial took place in the presence of her family and volunteers.

“I finally feel some peace,” said Anilkumar at the mass grave in Puthumala. “Now I can pay tribute to my mother in one place. She had always feared being scattered in death—like some of those lost in the 2019 Puthumala landslide.” That disaster, which claimed 17 lives, had left a deep impact on Rajamma. Five victims from it were never conclusively identified and were buried without proper rites. Since then, she had spoken often of her fears during monsoon.

“We never imagined her words would come true,” said Anilkumar. “But she always feared such an end, living in a landslide-prone area. We used to scold her for what we thought was black humour.”

Normally, once body parts are identified, families are allowed to rename the grave, replace code numbers, and perform last rites in one place. In Rajamma’s case, the DNA match confirmed that both graves contained her remains. The family performed her final rites on Friday after moving her remains into one grave.

“It took too long,” he said, “but I’m grateful it’s done. She can finally rest.”