Tsunami - One Year Later
Rahul Bose - December 30, 2005
As I stand here on the balcony of the Bay Island hotel in Port Blair, my mind goes back to almost a year ago to the day, to a conversation I had with a civil servant in the Andaman & Nicobar administration. It was December 29, 2004. I had flown in the morning before with Amitav Ghosh, the writer. He had been commissioned by The Hindu to write a piece on the tsunami and I, well I was there just to help. Or so I thought.
Because here I was on the phone with one of the most arrogant, cruel human beings I had ever spoken to. “Why are you here?” this civil servant asked belligerently over the phone when I finally managed to get through to his understandably busy mobile number. Before I could answer, he continued. “What do you think you can achieve here? You think you can do more than the administration? How much money will you bring here? You know we are going to get sanctions worth hundreds of crores from the government? Why don’t you write down a list of things you will undertake to carry out, sign it and send it to me so I can place it on record.”
I gently tried to make him understand that I had no idea what I could offer to do as I had no idea what was needed. The answer was prompt. “No problem, ask me and I will tell you everything that is needed, then you make your list and submit it.”
“But,” I continued as patiently as before, “I will need to travel to the other islands, make a firsthand appraisal of what the islanders need and then prepare a proposal to collect funds from prospective donors on the mainland. When one is making an appeal for money, funders are most interested in what you have seen on the ground…”
“What is the need for that? I have seen it on the ground,” (which he clearly had not - it would have been humanly and logistically impossible for him to have done that in a week, let alone in the two days that had transpired after the tsunami), “ I will tell you all you need to know”.
I hung up and stood in silence, shocked.
Amitav, who has since written a lucid, poignant piece on the aftermath of the tragedy, said, “You are going to find it very difficult here. Why don’t you go to south India and work there?” Not so much as a reaction to the taunting from the IAS officer, but because something told me this was going to be a real challenge to my rush of idealism and concern, I didn’t.
And a year of extremely modest contributions in the form of relief and rehabilitation efforts (which continue) later, I am profoundly happy to have stuck it out, and not in the least bit unhappy that that offensive civil servant has since been transferred.
I haven’t missed much that has been written about the aftermath of the tragedy in the last year, but like most reportage of tragedies, the coverage has been more about personal lives, human interest stories, leaving writing on the overall scheme of things sketchy at best. The question I get asked all the time is – What is the situation today?
Like all things in India, there is no simple answer. While the relief and compensation efforts of the government were initially reported as being chaotic, the truth is, after the first few weeks of logistical madness, compensation efforts have been painstaking. While interesting and seemingly plausible long term rehabilitation programs such as livestock farming, coconut plantations and vegetable cultivation have started being implemented, the jury is still out on their sustainability over time. While the erection of temporary housing was speedy, its design was appalling, showing absolutely no understanding of the climactic and cultural conditions on the islands. On the other hand, the administration has shown more empathy when it comes to the design of the permanent shelters, and today, alongwith the Ministry of Urban Development, is taking cognizance of the efforts of architects attached to NGOs. Yet everybody wishes things moved faster on that front. Indeed, on every front.
To appreciate the enormity of the meaning of these words you need to understand how things operate in this Union Territory. Historically the islands have been heavily controlled by the government to safeguard tribal and defence interests. And though the present administration is taking steps to promote tourism, the tribal laws of the land stand strictly and justifiably in place. So, unlike in any other part of mainland India, even something as basic as travel to the Nicobar Islands (largely tribal) is only possible if the government issues you a (time-bound) tribal pass for a few days. If you factor in the distances (by ship to Car Nicobar? Anything upto two days. Helicopter? An hour and a quarter.), and the attendant expenses (it takes three flights totaling almost seven hours – a flight to London takes eight – to get to Camorta in the Nancowrie group of islands. The difference is that a flight to London costs less.), then you understand that while there were once over a hundred NGOs operating on the ground in Nagapattinam, it has never gone beyond twenty in the Andamans. Hence Amitav’s words.
But that’s the beauty of India. When the odds seem stacked up against you, you can use the almost-friendly chaos that is inherent in this country to go ahead and do your thing. You just have to do it quietly. The gentler you cast the stone into the pond, the larger the size of the stone you can throw in. Ask any NGO working in the Andamans and they will echo this sentiment. Suffice to say that the present civil administration under the active and accessible Chief Secretary, Mr. D. S. Negi, has been unfussily co-operative. And although the efforts of the group of NGOs that I work with is comparitively negligible in the larger scheme of things, it is work done with grit and dedication.
And this trip, (my tenth, an airport officer reminded me), is going to be special. I can feel it already. Not because all is hunky dory on the islands. Not because every trace of the emotional devastation has been erased. But because I have made friends on these islands. Friends like Justin Simon, the tribal captain of Hatoi village in the Camorta group of islands, who generally speaks a language I do not understand, but one day, in broken Hindi said to me, “It is good that you have sent us a Tata 207. We did not have one till now. But it is not necessary. For us it is enough that you come. Again and again.”
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Posted by Rahul Bose at December 30, 2005 06:54 AM
Comments
Rahul, Thanks for that post. We are struggling with poems, lots of them - in the comment section of my post 'Paper Boats in Kitchen Sink'. One by comrade Avtaar Singh Pash, I am sure you'll like it. Do visit, Rahul.
Rahul Pandita
Rahul, that is the perception in India. Here in US, post katrina, help pored in by:
1) Every store had a Katrina Money + FOod( items like Chocolates, etc with a little longer shelf life)) + Clothes, blankets contribution box or center
2) Food Stamps + Free Gift Cards to buy anything of their choice for a fixed value were given
3) Tax based concession and contributions were solicited by Local Govt.
4) People invited displaced families shelter in other states. SOME Amilies ADOPTED some kids and others provided new employment opportunities in their places for new victims moving in from New Orleans.
People like u are an endangered species (rushing to help the NGOs and Govt agencies in providing the much needed SWEAT contribution.)
It is not the person per se but the moral support one lends that helps the victims recover faster and pull back their lives.
Ur efforts are commendable considering many famous personalities do a mock or a press stunt by lending moral support post any disaster and the press gets its fill and the personalities disapper only to reappear after another disaster.
India needs help ASAP, but it is guys like u who keep the hope alive
Cheers,
Madhu
I have admired you for your thinking and beliefs about social-developmental issues. But what I sincerely admire in you and respect you for, is that you _do_ something about what you believe in. Only those committed to their ideals know how challenging and yet invigorating it can be even just to try and actually work on what you truly, sincerely believe in, and more so within the conditions that contexts such as India can present. I look forward to reading your posts. Good luck in all of your work and efforts.
Rahul Bose, you seem to breathe & live each and every word so well from the following :
I SHALL PASS
THIS WORLD BUT ONCE
ANY GOOD THING THAT I CAN
DO OR ANY KINDNESS THAT
I CAN SHOW TO ANY HUMAN
BEING. LET ME DO IT NOW
AND NOT DIFFER IT. FOR, I,
WILL NOT PASS THIS WAY AGAIN.
Good Luck & Take care,
Shrutii
Dear Rahul,
You are a good actor. I liked your work in Chameli, Takshak, Jhankar Beats, Everybody Says I'm Fine and Mr. & Mrs. Iyer. I heard you were going to direct an indie movie in the US.....what's the latest on that? You are one of the guys I'd love to work with.
About the work you are doing for Tsunami relief.....one year is a long time. I'm sure the natives of Andaman & Nicobar must be back up on their feet again thanks to the help from NGOs and good samaritans like you. How's the weather over there? Want me to come over and give you a hand? ;)
Keep doing what you believe in and keep going with the flow.
Cheers!
Navin
That was absolutely beautiful. Thank You.
I noticed that for this year the IRS will allow charity donations to Hurrican Katrina equal to 100% of your total income for 2005. It's sad that wasn't in place for the tsunami survivors.
Thank you for the work you are doing for them.
Wonderful post Rahul. Keep up the good work. People like you are the real pillars of India.
Hello Rahul,
First of all, its nice to see u among the posts, and I fully agree with Kavita, surely u are a wonderful actor and more important, u r a very compassionate human being.
It is really heartening to know that u keep on continuing your effort in Nicobar Islands , otherwise mostly our normal mode of reaction is that of complete shock when a mishap occurs and later we even forget to find out how the people of that region are coping with the difficulties, as a more recent news may have caught our imagination.
Ispita
nice post, rahul...as a person working extensively in ngo relams, i can empathize with your sharings...labels aside, it has always been "humans" who have made the difference...whiel crises have been "opportunities" for the corrupt , be it at Latur,Gujarat, nagapattinam or anywhere else, it has also brought to the fore inspiring human initiatives...
events such as these,as they occur are as much an opportunity for growth and evolution of individuals who receive the privilege of service...it is an opportunity for separatedness to break and oneness paradigms in consciosuness to emerge...some of us learn through them, others are unconscious...
wonderful post rahul
in an interview you gave to some TV channel, I remember you use the words Emotional Strength.
I dont remember the context, but whenever I see you I am reminded of those words.
I feel as a human being you do things whether acting or social work based on that Emotional Strength you have in you. It acts like a quality threshold where you challenge yourself to do more and much better based on that strength.
all the best for the future and much thanks for Mr& Mrs Iyer.
Rahul,
You are one of the true actors we have in our midst. I have followed your act right from the days of A Mouthful Of Sky and found that you have seldom veered from the kind of stuff you believe in. Unlike the horde of ordinary actors, your work is marked by conviction.
But what is still more laudable is your work outside of movies. Unlike the routine show business types - too wooden and untutored for the larger scheme of life, you have shown a socially-conscious face. It's a relief to know that somewhere deep inside you are a human being and not a vain cutout full of himself.
I look forward to your work in the coming year. My best wishes to you and your family.
Dear Rahul, you are a good human being! It can't be easy doing what you are doing; please know that your efforts are being admired from afar.
North
Hi Rahul, Keep up the good work. May God bless you. HAPPY NEW YEAR.
HI Rahul,
thanks for caring and taking action to help. It's important work you are doing.
Love, Kristin
Hi Rahul
Wishing you a happy peaceful new year. Appreciate very much the work you have done with regards to tsunami.
Btw, we - myself and my family - did very much like your Raja Chowdhary!!
Umm...so much has already been written by the others about this blogpost...I would instead let my silence express my solidarity to the tsunamic cause...
Aloha Rahul
You are a wave of consciousness. love patty
Hey Rahul,
That’s extremely impressive as you are going elsewhere and helping the people who have gone through a really tough time in their life. Despite the fact that it’s hard for them to forget, But the individual who helps them may perhaps make a major difference in their life and might also bring back a hope for the people to live the life again. And it’s only possible if people like you are still alive to help them out.
Happy New Year & Have a BlaSt Dis 2006.
Thank you, Rahul.
Namaste ~ twfm
Hello Rahul:Thanks for sharing your story. It's nice to know that you spent your new years eve in a meaningful way. Its always good to hear first person account of what's happening as people in United States seem to miss this.
Hello Rahul
2005 had its greatest fury of Nature, Unpredictable Political Events, volatile economy....only one aspect has not changed.
...That is, our Anticipation for the next best Year. May this New Year bring our dreams to reality, our aspirations to fruition and happiness to all. Let's wish for a better year for the world.
Rahul- thanks for sharing your experience. It only gives positive energy for us to do something meaningful everyday. Is there any way to contact you?
Am reading Shantaram by Gregory Roberts. His words are echoed in your writing. The part where you say "When the odds seem stacked up against you, you can use the almost-friendly chaos that is inherent in this country to go ahead and do your thing..." says so much.
Would have surfed, read and moved on to the next post as usual, with a nice warm feeling. The feeling one gets when one knows the world is not all that far gone yet. But something, that one sentence made me stop. And write this marathon.
Beautiful work. Lovely words.
Cheers~
We used to live in Portblair for about 2 yrs.. i was a kid tht time.. but ltrz we went there for a trip n i was so in luv with those islands.
It is really sad tht tsunami almost devastated it n even sadder to read the apathy of civic officials..
My office is like 3 km from the sea , and my dad's 50m from the shore ...
When we got to hear abt the Tsunami , i was frantic ... called my dad's office .. couldn't get him on the phone .. Then , a security guy picked up the line and said that all the staff had been evacuated ... u cant imagie my relief ...
My office is situtated in a valley ... we went up to the highest ground and looked down at the sea ...it looked tranquil from our vantage point .... was so hard to imagine that the apparently peaceful and calm sea had caused so much havoc ...
And , i believe we - humans - are solely responsible ...
I suppose you're thoroughly sick and tired of people going "omfg!! rahul!! i luv your work!" so I'm not going to do that.
It's good that you exhibit some sense of social conscience and are out there at the, uh, grassroots-level-place-thingy, really, but it's a bit odd that you be so disillusioned at the state of our civil services. It's one thing that India is one big administrative discrepancy--it's another that someone who's lived longer than my mere 17 years would stand anywhere in silence, shocked, at our administrative services. I think a group of individuals like-minded as you, formed by yourself, lobbying to the Government to create changes in our administration would help slightly more than providing things like food and blankets and snivelling over the fate of the poor who were poor in the first place, because that would ensure when something like this happens again, the bastards in the bureaucracy don't make their inferiority complexes and stupidity obvious when talking to people they think is superior to them.
Good lord. When you stop tripping over your ten-dollar words you might have something decent to say.
Rahul,
Hope you are well. It has been a long time. After reading your entries it is comforting to know that you have not been completely engulfed by the nature of the "industry" around you. After having spent three weeks in India in December, I was dissappointed to see how so many were so involved with their own concerns of day to day life- concerns that seem so irrelevant when looking beyond that...
Anyway - if you read this, I am truly happy for you and proud of your accomplishmemts. A long way since Bombay Gym...or maybe not.
Anita
well...those are a host of comments there..and i dont suppose you've gotten around to reading them or as is custom replying either..but i guess excesses can be allowed..yeah right like i'm the queen of promptness...anyway..nice post..but my feelings on the tsunami and its aftermath are pretty confused..if u can take the time off i wrote a poem on it..maybe u sould read it..
Dear Mr Rahul Bose,
You are probably never going to be reading this cos you have a whole lot on your plate . Anyhow, I think i owe this much to myself to just let you know how i feel . You are one of the most admirable men in recent times.You are just bloody fantastic, be it as an actor, director or social activist or a rugby player! I love it how you practice what you preach n you so DONT fall under the typical bollywood brigade. You inspire me to follow my dreams and only do what i believe in.
Hope you reach all your goals n aspirations in life.
Love always,
Shreya
Dear Rahul bose,
Have just returned from Godfrey phillips Bravery awards where you spoke after receiving a special award for your good work at A&N which you so thoughtfully dedicated to a lot of people including Chief Sec, Captain Agustine etc.
Your comment about the arrogant civil servant could have been balanced with a mention of good deeds by a large number of civil servants including Mr Meena who volunteered to return to Kamorta from Delhi and organised things in the traumatic initial stages. Many govt servants who got personally traumatised by earthquake which rendered them homeless and in many cases without near and dear stayed on to work to bring normalcy. Well meaning NGOs did a great job but there were many who were there to take a photo against the backdrop of the unwanted supply they brought to claim whatever they wanted from appropriate sources.Next time you visit A& N visit katchall. The tragedy there was less reported than Hutbay ,Carnic or Campelbay. You speak so well and effectively. So would appreciate if you if you cared to acknowledge good efforts of atleast some civil servants and fauj as well. Most did what they thought was the bestin the time of crisis.
We also need to prepare for the next disaster, another tsunami which may hit there sooner than we expect.
Regards keep up the good work. Visit Tarasa and Bombuka as well during your next visit.
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Mampully commented on Tsunami - One Year Later
Dear Rahul bose,
Have just returned fr
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Shreya commented on Tsunami - One Year Later
Dear Mr Rahul Bose,
You are -
meera commented on Tsunami - One Year Later
well...those are a host of comments there..and
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Anita commented on Tsunami - One Year Later
Rahul,
Hope you are well. It has been a -
loren commented on Tsunami - One Year Later
Good lord. When you stop tripping over your te
Thank you Rahul. You are an awesome actor and an even better human being