Amid the wreckage of Kishtwar's cloudburst-hit Choshiti village in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, hope clings on stubbornly—embodied in the trembling hands of 70-year-old Krishna Devi, who sits at her home in Digiana on the outskirts of Jammu city, clutching a fading photograph of her missing son, daughter-in-law, and grandson.
It has been seven days since a devastating cloudburst on August 14 swept through the remote village in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, leaving behind a trail of destruction and unanswered prayers.
Krishna Devi's only son, 33-year-old Shahil Sharma, along with his wife, Lovely Sharma, and three-year-old son, Raghav, have been untraceable since August 14, after the devastating cloudburst followed by a flash flood struck the Chositi village.
The ill-fated family had embarked on a spiritual pilgrimage to the revered Machail Mata shrine in the Paddar area of the mountainous Kishtwar district. What was meant to be a journey of faith turned into a family's worst nightmare.
For Krishna Devi, who lost her husband, Mohan Lal Sharma, just a few months ago, this fresh tragedy is a second crushing blow. Sahil was not just her only son and the sole male heir among five siblings—he had become the family's pillar, caring for his mother and four sisters with quiet strength after his father's passing.
"Every morning I wake up thinking they will come home," she murmurs, her voice barely rising above a whisper.
Her weathered face, marked by grief, turns toward the gate with every footstep that passes, hoping against hope.
"We are helpless, we do not know how to console this mother as chances of the survival of her three family members are bleak", Ashwani Angotra, a neighbour of Krishana Devi, told The International Business Times, adding, "We could not muster the guts to tell her to accept the reality".
Ashwani Angotra, who is an advocate by profession, revealed that the last contact of Sahil Sharma with his family was established in the morning of August 14. "After August 14 afternoon, there is no whereabouts of Sahil, his wife, and their three-year-old son", he said.
Rescue operations in Choshiti continue, with teams braving harsh terrain and uncertain weather, but the passage of time weighs heavily. Officials admit that the chances of survival diminish each day, but they remain committed—recognising that for families like Krishna Devi's, hope is the only lifeline left.
Back in Digiana, the Sharma household has become a place of quiet mourning and constant vigil. Neighbours and relatives drop by to sit beside Krishna Devi, share her grief, and offer comfort. The community, deeply shaken by the tragedy, has come together in solidarity.
Sahil's wife, Lovely, described as a devoted daughter-in-law, was Krishna Devi's closest companion following her husband's death. Their little son, Raghav, who had only recently celebrated his third birthday, was on his first pilgrimage—a moment meant to mark blessings, now remembered through the echoes of a child's laughter.
As search and rescue teams scour the debris-strewn terrain of Choshiti, Krishna Devi's wait continues—each day stretching into an eternity marked by silence, prayer, and a mother's unrelenting love.
The August 14 cloudburst has claimed several lives and displaced many, but for Krishna Devi, the loss is intimate, personal, and unbearable. Her world has shrunk to a single photograph and an endless wait—an agonising reminder of the human toll disasters leave behind.
