For the first time in my life spanning over five-and-a-half decades, I have never witnessed a natural disaster like this. You could see water coming in concentric circles and engulfing houses and shops. You could see cars and big vehicles under water. The Periyar was overflowing. When rain water was flowing toward the river and river water was flowing towards the habitations, the twain met.
To state plainly, we need to look at the calamity from two different angles. One is mitigation and other is response. Let me take the latter first. We were trapped in a building which was not a declared relief camp, but soon turned into a place with more than 700 people coming there. There was no power or water supply. Food was a question. But the collective of students, local citizens and stranded truck drivers from neighbouring states were bold enough to respectfully challenge the fury of nature and rescue the people and provide them with food and water. Mobile communication was kept alive by truck and cab drivers. They rescued animals, too. They willingly shared their food with guest labourers (commonly called migrant labour).
There was no TV or mobile communications. No one discussed partisan politics. They kept people alive physically and emotionally. The administration’ s presence was on the edges as they were stretched for resources. The air dropping of food was there, but it was at best a supplement.
There is indomitable and spontaneous spirit among the younger generation. They enjoyed the risks they took. They did not say, like one government official “you ask the collector”. They collected their might and distributed help. When one came out and saw the light and sun three days later, there were debates in channels and among other interest groups which was essential a blame game.
The experience was fearful, but a great one. Water was washing away inequalities that wealth could create. One fact was palpable: common citizen, irrespective of caste, religion and gender, could act in unison. Common collective acted fast and swift, while donating the burden of credit-taking and blame game to others.
Certain pertinent questions need to be answered Are we failing to heed early warning even after experiences? Urge to rebuild is welcome, but why we can not subordinate it to reality check of the damage? Can we rethink on our development symbols which euologise builders of big airports and buildings erected by evicting people and filling land ?
I vote with Madhav Gadgil who stated that the disaster is substantially man-made. If saner voices are drowned in cacophony of interest groups, we would end up in drowning human lives. It is Hobson’s choice.
