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STORY so far: A day after tsunami struck the coast, I team up with four other friends to be with some of the affected people camping in a Nagapattinam school. Gani talks to the youth about geography, Geeta gets the kids to draw cats and dogs, Suku treats the injured and the sick, even as the Collector Radhakrishnan tells Anil and me that he's happy we were standing shoulder to shoulder in handling the catastrophe. Wouldn't it be a greater disaster if we refused to meet head-on a calamity that hits people around, I think?

Episode 101

Though I returned to the city after three days in Nagai, the last few weeks have been keeping me busy in organising aid from local businessmen.

Thus, a popular vessel merchant gave 500 stainless steel plates, and a bag shop sent us a consignment of waterproof pouches. When a photo studio owner chipped in with scores of film rolls, I asked, "For what? We're not tourists there!" He said, "Swati, here, take my camera and take pictures of the unidentified dead. I'll organise posting the images on the Web to help quick identification."

At Anil's suggestion, a dozen mechanical engineers turned up at the camp, each with a tool-kit, and determined to set right anything that had gone kaput.

Geeta seemed to have a good network of contacts and within days we had a vanload of stuffed dolls and toys to give the kids in tsunami-affected places.

Gani's principal was kind enough to spare the services of a few more teachers for the camp.

I was puzzled when the local branch of the Institute of Chartered Accountants brought in a contingent of CAs. I asked, "For what?" They said, "We can help oversee if the distribution is all right." I said, "Good, as long as it is true and fair."

*********

In response to my question of last week, M. Radhakrishnan writes: "Can we face the calamity head on? I am not sure. But what we can do is to prevent the damages that a calamity can cause by ensuring proper preventive measures. Earthquake or tsunami does not cause extensive damages or kill people, per se. Man-made mistakes kill people. For instance, during the Gujarat quake, many buildings fell because of poor construction and bad planning. So, prevention is the best cure. If we had avoided dwelling units at least one km from the sea, we could have restricted the damages. Rehabilitation can't happen overnight.

"Further, with our political system waiting to take mileage, and unscrupulous people trying to take advantage of relief materials, where is the question of taking calamity head on?" That's on a very diffident note, I'd say.

"Swati, no matter whatever progress science has made, nature seems to have an upper hand. I agree that is more a disaster when we refuse to meet calamity head on, but the problem is that we often spend time and energy on unproductive issues. In Florida, hurricanes are quite common, but they predict it a week earlier and do evacuation with all the necessary survival kits. Let's hope India, too, will advance to such a level," is what Kamal Anil Kapadia, a CA from Mumbai writes. In India, the warning system for cyclones and depressions are quite refined, so we have advance notice. Perhaps, tsunami was an unknown quantity all along.

"Hats off to your team, and indeed to your boss (for having allowed you work off for a week!)" writes C. Ramesh of Keeramangalam. "Many may donate money. But it is the immediate fieldwork that would mitigate the miseries of the tsunami-hit people.

"It was heartening that many youths of the locality in the affected areas pulled up their socks to remove the bodies to the morgue. In fact, moral and psychological support is needed to them more than pecuniary helps." Thanks Ramesh.

*********

A few days ago, Muniamma, from a nearby locality, came to meet me. "I'm a relative of your servant," she said.

"A broker came and told us that a few NRIs are visiting our area today. It seems they would like to do something to help us. Will you come and talk on our behalf?" Well, this was interesting, I thought, and agreed to her request.

Yes, they came, and were quite eager to do something, in fact, anything. Each one had a budget to spend, and it seemed there was a pinching conscience to take care of too. But what made me come back dejected at the end of about an hour's interaction was that they were all in such great hurry to catch the flight or dash off to Tirupati or Ooty that they barely seemed to listen to the local people.

I've read that the Chinese fare better. As if to match their country's economic growth, overseas Chinese students have been returning at an annual rate of 13 per cent. Such returning non-residents have started up 5,000 businesses across China. They were not mere visiting cousins.

I wondered if our people here really need NRI help that often comes with many strings attached and a pompous patronising attitude, or if we can't stand on our own feet. Send in your thoughts by Friday.

Swati_CA@hotmail.com

For archived episodes of this column click on: htpp://www.thehindubusinessline.com/nic/swati/index.htm

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