“TSUNAMI DIARY”

When I first heard that there was an earthquake in Chennai many people had died I rushed to the Dining Hall in watch the news. To my surprise I only saw images of water striking different parts like Marina Beach, Kanyakumari, Nagapattinam, Andaman and Nicobar Island and Sri Lanka. I was confused about how it is an earthquake when water strikes and I thought it must be a cyclone like orissa.

 My friend Elango from Tamil Nadu had been admitted to the Inlaks Hospital (Chembur) and I rushed to the hospital to give the news about many deaths. They too had no idea what had taken place. Afterwards, I heard the word “Tsunami” repeatedly but had no Idea what it meant. My friend Erika Asada who is Japanese explained to me that it’s an earthquake under the sea water strikes the land. The word was Japanese and had occurred frequently in Japan. I bought magazine and found the answer to my questions. An earthquake had taken place below the sea between Burma plate and India plate and the water traveled below the sea at a speed of 800 km/hour. It was horrible to hear about the death and destructions and there were a lot of confused reports. In campus, the only thing on the lips of student and faculty was the disaster, one of the worst in India and possible Asia. 

On the same night a few of us went to meet the Director to volunteer for relief work and he told us that one of the faculty members, Fr. Xavier was on the spot and he would send some information. A decision would then be made on how TISS would help in the relief efforts. We all wanted to rush there immediately but he told us that he would address us the next day after he got more detailed information. He also shared his concerns about where the students could be accommodated and other details if they went for relief work. He also shared his experiences during the Latur earthquake. 

The process of decision making involved talking to the HOD’s(Head of the departments) and other faculty members and this was a long process. All of us were impatient and felt that the relief operations will be over by the time we reach and TISS was the slowest responder. But gradually the committees were formed and volunteers sought and the briefing done. This was before we left to Tamil Nadu. I would now like to share my experiences of what happened there.

Our group first went with the Stella Maris (college) group but there was no accommodation for the Men so we had to shift to Nagapattinam the most Tsunami affected area there another Tamil speaking group would join us. We reached there on 21^st Jan 2005, and on the following day we moved to our site by van. As we approached the village, I was shocked to see big boats lying on the road, the coastal line fully damaged, broken walls and destroyed roads. As we approached the village, houses were fully or partially destroyed bleaching powder spread all across and medicine we being sprayed over the destroyed village. 

We went to Akkaraipettai village, where people, young and old rushed to get something from us as soon as we got down from the van, mistaking us for government officials. They came with pink and yellow cards given by the government. We told them we were Social work students came to survey the lost of property so that we could give a report to the TN government. There were four Tamil speaking people in our group and we divided ourselves accordingly. As soon as we got off the van, people started telling us their problems. They then learnt that only a few understood Tamil and started sharing with them. After some time, I noticed that our translators wee totally involved in the situation and they were interacting with the people without translating to us. I thought they were also inexperienced and in their enthusiasm forgot about us. However it was frustrating. I somehow came to know that the man who was talking to us lost one child in the tsunami. He had been in the middle of the sea, unable to get back because the sea was rough. He had seen the waves strikes the village without realizing what happened. The water rose till chest level. Three huge waves struck the village and wreaked havoc.

 Meanwhile a girl of 12 years came to us with tears and explained that she had lost both parents and was staying with her brother who was advising her to go to a hostel. When I asked her name, she replied in English- Vinida. After that many women and old people came and shared their experiences with tears and a shivering voice but they remained untranslated. I thought it was useless for us to have gone there, but felt that I could learn something from observation. Then we went around the village, trying to build rapport with the villagers, specially the youth.

 While going around the village, I met an English speaking girl and interacted with her. She told me that when the tsunami struck, she was standing between houses, 500 mts from the sea. She did not see the water but suddenly say boats flying over the houses and water came like clouds. She ran to her house and went to the terrace, just after one wave had washed away and dead bodies were floating around. While listening to her, I noticed one abnormal lady lying on the sand, bitten by flies and asked the girl what was the problem. The lady had lost her only child. Two young kids were brought and introduced to me. They had lost both their parents. She also introduced her cousin brother whose mother and sister had died and father had become abnormal and was staying at the temple.

 Next day again the groups were divided and out group went to the shore to do social mapping and found all the destroyed houses, because we had no idea about how the village had looked like. We got 96 household names of one street. We tried deepening out work, the next day we took some youth aside and I would give the name of the household. I noted the type of house, size, members who had perished and who had survived the tsunami, boats that the family lost. 

Next day we went to Keechankuppam village, where around 940 people died. The old ladies were weeping and mourning in the Temple and men were drinking and playing cards. A person called Subramanium told me that whenever he closes his eyes, he sees only water and all of them had totally lost sleep. They fear water. I told them it would not come again and they felt relaxed. They said everyone had been frightening them but no one consoled them. We could hardly communicate with their broken and a few words of Tamil; that way we had given some psychological support which was so necessary at that moment. So our going there was of some use.  

We also learned that none of them had eaten fish after tsunami when they would eat earlier five to six days in a week. They mass cremated the dead in the destroyed houses. Children played for the first time after tsunami with us and the youth started sharing with us since we were the only one to listen to them and their sorrows.

 Back in Mumbai, whenever I close my eyes, I see only the destroyed villages, death and miserable people. I became weak and am not able to sleep properly. We never know when and what would happen to nature. Our life is not in our hands. We boast of our abilities and intelligence which is nothing after death. The little contribution we can make is share with our friends and neighbors whatever goodness we have. As the saying goes, the good time is now and the good place is here. Never wait for a good time to come which will never turn but make a heaven in hell by our practice of little good deeds.

JIBAN DEB BARMA

TATA INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, MUMBAI – 88

Mob:- 09892790086

E-mail: langma@rediffmail.com