While people across the nation have come together to help, challenge remains in ensuring that assistance truly reaches those in need

The jury is still out on whether the recent landslides in Wayanad is a result of human callousness or nature's own waywardness. Two weeks after the deluge, there is still no confirmed count of lives lost. Survivors and search teams are continuing to sift through the debris to find remains of those swept away.

With everything lost, scores are staring at the challenge of finding some means to take life forward. Monsoon doesn't evoke tender sentiments of love and romance any longer. It now denotes death and destruction. It shows how hapless man is before fate and it also bears testimony to human resilience in the face of catastrophe.

Like it happened once in 2018, when the whole ofKerala stood up and held hands to rescue and rebuild those caught in the floods, people came together in the aftermath of the recent landslides too. Helping hands were extended from far and wide and relief materials dispatched at short notice. And fromhordes of donors came loads of unwanted things too:fromused clothes to perishables that cannot be used optimally.

 A social media post showed volunteers grappling with heaps of material that reflected collective compassion and magnanimity, but also underlined the difficulty of harnessing people's largesse effectively.

An appeal was made to the public to avoid sending vegetables and bread, and chiefly clothes, and instead dispatch other essentials. It was misconstrued by a segment of people andit sent wrong signals that the hundreds who had taken shelter in relief camps did not need help anymore as much of it was languishing in the collection centres. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Whether in the tragic instances of natural calamity or in war-ravaged parts of the world where people have had to flee and seek refuge in makeshift camps, there is a colossal need for human kindness and generosity. But we oftenmake mistakes in the way we express and extend this willingness to help and save people from aftermaths of misfortunes.

The first thing that comes to our common mind when we talk of aid is heaps of clothes that we dump in collection centres.

Although the amount of second-hand wear that people dispose in the name of charity has decreased with awareness campaigns, there still is a huge dearth of information and knowledge regarding the kind of assistance people in relief camps need - be it after a natural calamity or in strife-ridden communities.

There is also scepticism with regard to monetary help: trust is lacking and not many believe that the funds are allocated rightly and to the needy because there are no means to trace the money trail. That a lot of cash gets siphoned off is the public perception. Given this, how do good-natured people who are willing to lend a helping land to the afflicted make a contribution? What is a trusted channel? It is hard to say with certainty, but the only choice we have is to trust the people who take up such endeavours or be part of volunteer groups that initiates such action.

It is indeed a shame that some devious minds take advantage of this opportunity to make a quick buck and instances of wrongdoing are not unheard of.  But at the end of the day, it is one person's misery meeting another person's magnanimity.

Creating safe and guaranteed channels of help and support will make more people come forward to restore the lives of those affected. The onus of winning public trust through transparency lies with community leaders, politicians and philanthropists. Even the kindliest thoughts and action can go to waste if they are not done with discretion.

(The author is a Dubai-based columnistand writing coach; views are personal)