December 26, 2004 (almost at the end of last year!) will be imprinted in the minds of millions around the world as a black day, which has witnessed utmost human devastation caused by TSUNAMI around Indian Ocean rim. The epicenter of the earthquake in the sea of Sumatra triggered such a major natural disaster that several countries like Indonesia, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka and as far as Yemen were affected with death and destruction all around within no time.
The main victims of this devastating force of nature have been people –particularly fishing community settled in coastal area, tourists holidaying in sea beaches and habitants near the coast including hotels and above all, aborigines and residents of Car & Nicobar Islands, which are barely 150 Km from the epicenter.
People standing on sea beach, sitting and walking along and living near the coast line, irrespective of young and old, child or adult, rich or poor, virtuous or sinner---all were engulfed and perished in seconds with advent of massive waves of waterfronts created in Indian Ocean from the underwater earth quake in Sumatra that went in to Bay of Bengal and partly in Arabian sea. Tsunami has taken unimaginable toll on human beings on such a large scale that its scars will remain for decades. It has washed off costal villages, habitats in islands like Car and Nicobar, household and properties, roads and communication lines apart from deaths and destructions all around wherever it reached. Natural Disaster of this scale is not witnessed in our time.
After-effects of TSUNAMI are immense--- in terms of physical and mental scars, which will take ages to recover the assaults those who witnessed and survived, but lost everything of their own—families, house and properties and also means of livelihood. Parents are separated from children, children from their parents. Hundreds of kids are orphaned without any understanding of the grim reality of life.
TSUNAMI came and gone, but what has it left behind? Utter human misery! People in our country were totally caught unaware of such an impending destruction as we do not have any Tsunami alarm system, which could have saved lot of human lives. Animals mostly saved themselves through their animal instinct as they could perceive of this impending danger. Our Government like on all such occasions were caught unaware and by the time beurocratic machinery started working, the conditions of human misery would have worsened, but for fast movement of NGOs, voluntary organizations and local people and many good Samaritans who took over the task of providing necessary help in food, clothes, shelters, medical help in such emergency.
Funds are flowing in from all parts of India. By now the Government has proposed financial packages to rebuild the lives of people who lost everything in Car and Nicobar islands, costal areas in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. Some people are so afraid, they intend to move inlands from the coast and islands. Those who do not intend to move out from the land where they were settled earlier, are looking for resettlement. It is a massive rebuilding efforts and hence we ought to share part of their misery and extend our helping hand as much as each of us can to help them rebuild their lives again.
As a after thought, will such massive scar in the minds of those who suffered at the hands of TSUNAMI – the disaster, be erased or will still leave imprints till end of life?