It was a warm sunny and cool December morning. There was a gentle breeze blowing from the Marina Beach. December 26th 2004 was not going to be a good day for many people in Chennai. I was there at the Beach when Tsunami came and fortunate to escape it’s wrath. I usually go to beach during week end in the early morning for a walk.
It was a Black Sunday. The sea was calm maybe it was preparing itself for the massacre that was to happen in a short time. I was at the beach around 6.30 a.m on sunday when I received a call on my mobile from my house that there was mild earthquake and it was felt in most part of Chennai though I did not feel anything in the beach. I usually walk from Marina to Madras University end and back to Marina. The distance should be around 2.5 to 3km one way. It was around 8 am when I finished my walk and just had a tender cocunut and I was enjoying the breeze and the warm December early morning sun.
I came in my old kinetic honda on that day and was starting to leave when people were running from the sands and yelling that the waves in the sea are retracting itself.(Later I came to know that before a tsunami occurs the sea waves retracts itself and comes out with tremendous velocity). I started to move and I was driving out thinking the kids playing there were just doing some pranks.
It all happened suddenly when the sea began to rise and I could litreally see the waves rise to height of 10 ft and coming down with tremendous force. I was away from that place and crossed the commissioner office and something made me to drive away from that place. It must have all happened in few minutes. I came to my house in T.Nagar which is around 6 kms away from the beach which was not affected by the Tsunami.
I later saw the destruction in T.V only and was thinking how fortunate I was to escape. If I had stayed behind I would have died. I just thought about those kids who were playing cricket and bus loads of tourist who were there in the morning. They must have all perished. When the waves came and all them who were in the sand must have perished. I could only pray for their souls. More than 500 people must have perished in Chennai city alone.
No one could come to terms with this kind of disaster. It was not at all expected and that too in Chennai which was considered by many as a very safe and secure place. There should have been some early warning system. We send many satellites like the remote sensing which must have predicted this tsunami but it was not to be. Though I hear that this tsunami is very much common in Pacific sea but rarely occurs in Indian ocean.
When ever it happened in Pacific the western countries were able to predict it with their advanced satellite systems and gave an early warning. Hopefully this should be an eye opener for us and atleast some steps should be taken to prevent the loss of human lives to some magnitude.
It is a reminder once again that nature is more powerful and it never shows mercy. Whenever we think we are on the verge of conquering nature, it just proves a point on who is more powerful.
My heart felt condolence to the families of all those people who perished in this disaster. Let us pray for their souls.