Long Post Ahead! Read at leisure...and it's more a memoir for my kids when they grow up than anything else!
Its officially confirmed! I hate August...! Personally, it seems to be the month of displacements!!!
Long long ago, on an Aug 2nd in 1990, a little girl was displaced from the cozy comforts of her home...the country she knew as her own shattered, destroyed! It hurt her tremendously, but she, along with a gazillion others came out triumphant!
Cut to August 2018, the place she called home was ravaged by torrential rains...it broke her home like never before! And it broke her heart yet again and that of a million others' too.But if there's one thing to do in the face of tragedy, it is to persevere!
All the districts were on red alert, the rains unrelenting, 35 dams within the state were opened all at once for the first time in history, all five overflow gates of the Idukki Dam were open for the first time in 26 years, the rivers showed their might and flowed down with gusto, and when the waterways weren't sufficient, they acquired the very lands that were built on them!!!! Nature definitely has strange ways of getting back what belonged to her!!!! Kerala was witnessing the worst floods in over a century and almost everyone was caught unawares! We all have the "it's never going to happen to me" syndrome...and sometimes, when it does happen, we simply do not know how to move forward!!! The rains and the floods had us all stumped, but that was just brief...Malayalis are very resourceful and they have the will to come out of any situation unscathed! And, that was put to test aplenty...the government, the district administration, the people everyone shifted gears....if the rains were pounding down on us, we were all working superfast to circumvent the situation! And, when you have the army, navy, airforce and our very own fishermen it was not long before the rains decided that it was tough to beat the Keralite resilience! And, slowly, the rains gave way, the sun shone, and the rivers retreated...but not before displacing a good majority from the homes they had all lovingly built up! Rescue teams pulled out people from every nook and corner....and we all came out together as one huge family in various camps set up across the state!
We feel the intensity of another's pain when we have gone through a similar phase in life! I may have been away, safe in the confines of my home in Bangalore, but the pain was just the same, if not more! It was time for action, only I was clueless about what I could do sitting across the state! I could only pray, I thought! But, those people didnt need my prayers...they needed help! And who better to help, than the millions of Malayalis spread across the globe and come together we did, and how!!!!!
Up until now, just about the only thing I'd do for relief operations was donate to an NGO I thought was most reliable and make peace with that! This time, it didnt make sense...any amount I donated wouldnt measure up to the mammoth requirements! And, by then social media was abuzz about requirements from various relief camps...and I found my calling ;)
Decided the best way to help was to send out whatever relief materials were needed and got together with a few like minded people and collected about 7-8 cartons, stocked with what we thought would be most needed! And, I put up an FB post with the hope that friends who missed my whatsapp message would see my FB post....and that one decision changed the course of the relief operations we spearheaded from our apartment! As they say, when you open your heart to giving, angels fly to your door .... and this time we saw the angel in Vivek, who reached out to us and then, what was meant to be a little contribution snowballed into a huge movement! The enormity of it is yet to sink in, but we are certain we touched a few hundred lives...!!!
Amidst all this, there were some really spiteful messages circulating on FB and Whatsapp, which I still havent heard, because honestly I dont think they deserve the attention they got! But I got the gist from friends...and frankly, it was appalling to know that people stoop to such levels even during times of tragedy! And, what was even more alarming was that there were people who believed them!!!! And, that got my goat, more than anything else.I cannot speak for anyone else...but the organisation my friends and I were involved with were transparent beyond words and we could see where even the last drop of our contributions went to! And, for me, that's enough conviction that there are many many more organisations and people who have selflessly devoted their time, energy and money for the well being of the lives of lakhs of others they dont even know! And, honestly, during times of crisis, a little positivity doesnt really hurt! If not anything else, it brings a wee bit of smile on the faces of another human being...and how difficult is it to just shut up if you have nothing good to say! Try it, saves a lot of energy!
Lakhs of people losing their homes, few hundreds losing their lives, bravehearts spearheading rescue operations, media, bureaucracy, government all working together toward the same cause and we have demented people doing their bit to sabotage the operation. To them and all the people who believed the hate messages - yes, there are a few rotten apples but they are far and few and definitely, not enough to dampen the spirit with which they function! Lord Ayyappa and Padmananbha Swamy had no business in this natural calamity...so save the thought that allowing women into Sabarimala or opening the B vault brought on this calamity! If anything, we the people, brought it onto ourselves with the rampant deforestation and filling up of water bodies to build sky-rises....there is only so much Mother Earth can tolerate and when pushed too far against the wall, even she will retaliate!
There are a lot of life lessons from the catastrophe of the past week -
1. Its the moment that is important, the past and future are really not relevant...soak in the present, for your never know what curve ball life will throw at you tomorrow....
2. Sometimes it's ok to take that blind leap of faith and relentlessly pursue that one thing you firmly believe in! Our 6 trucks to various parts of Kerala bear testimony to that fact
3. The power of a community - Up until now, I was never overtly proud of my alumni. I did not have that deep sense of attachment toward my college as I had for my school. But, the last 6 days changed all that!!!!! I have never ever been more proud to call myself an XMECIAN....what a show, guys! What a show!!!!! Take a bow...from the senior most to the junior most, everyone stepped up and did all in their might to support the cause! A lot of old bonds were rekindled and new ones formed!! And, I know there is a smile on my face as I type this....
4. I found my friends and I know my foes!
5. I have often wondered how children make friends without any inhibitions. I was always one of those people who had a "starting trouble", but not anymore! I'd never met most of the folks who came out for volunteering but we struck a conversation like long lost friends...and I am certain that none of us will forget the other anytime soon...
The relief operations are far from over and it's going to be a long long process. If anything, a good majority of the population have learnt to overlook their differences and learnt that humanity is the only true religion! The journey may seem arduous and unending, but if we continue with the same spirited performance, a complete resurrection is not that far away!!!!
After all, Malayali da!!!!! Chandranil vare nammal poi chaaya kada thudangum, pinne aano keralam enna ittavattom !!! And, I conclude with one of my favourite songs with the hope that it's not long before we get our shyama sundara keda kedara bhoomi back on her feet and regain lost glory!
https://youtu.be/aObgm5wQPdA
There is a thank you note as well!!! 😉
I have a lot many people to be thankful to for the last few days -
My mother - For stepping in and filling the gaps...i hadn't seen the inside of my home properly since 15th Aug...i think my kids thought I was the Maveli coming in for Onam this year...
The husband - he had his doubts, but he trusted me enough and was the rock solid support I needed during times of doubt (he did make me pull out my hair at times, but thats what all husbands do 😂)
Aswathy, Tiju, Preeti - for sharing the madness and walking the path with me
Vivek - for reaching out when you did and showing us the path
Xmec Mec - for the unflinching support!
Koottukar at PV - 😍
Husbands of Koottukar at PV -🙏
The bachacha party at PV 😘
The volunteers - everyone who came in, dropping all their plans just because they heard from a friend that we needed additional hands !🤗
The entire staff at PV
And most importantly, every single person who brought in enough and more supplies to fill 6 trucks!!!!😍😍🤗🤗
#doforkerala #weshallovercome
Its officially confirmed! I hate August...! Personally, it seems to be the month of displacements!!!
Long long ago, on an Aug 2nd in 1990, a little girl was displaced from the cozy comforts of her home...the country she knew as her own shattered, destroyed! It hurt her tremendously, but she, along with a gazillion others came out triumphant!
Cut to August 2018, the place she called home was ravaged by torrential rains...it broke her home like never before! And it broke her heart yet again and that of a million others' too.But if there's one thing to do in the face of tragedy, it is to persevere!
All the districts were on red alert, the rains unrelenting, 35 dams within the state were opened all at once for the first time in history, all five overflow gates of the Idukki Dam were open for the first time in 26 years, the rivers showed their might and flowed down with gusto, and when the waterways weren't sufficient, they acquired the very lands that were built on them!!!! Nature definitely has strange ways of getting back what belonged to her!!!! Kerala was witnessing the worst floods in over a century and almost everyone was caught unawares! We all have the "it's never going to happen to me" syndrome...and sometimes, when it does happen, we simply do not know how to move forward!!! The rains and the floods had us all stumped, but that was just brief...Malayalis are very resourceful and they have the will to come out of any situation unscathed! And, that was put to test aplenty...the government, the district administration, the people everyone shifted gears....if the rains were pounding down on us, we were all working superfast to circumvent the situation! And, when you have the army, navy, airforce and our very own fishermen it was not long before the rains decided that it was tough to beat the Keralite resilience! And, slowly, the rains gave way, the sun shone, and the rivers retreated...but not before displacing a good majority from the homes they had all lovingly built up! Rescue teams pulled out people from every nook and corner....and we all came out together as one huge family in various camps set up across the state!
We feel the intensity of another's pain when we have gone through a similar phase in life! I may have been away, safe in the confines of my home in Bangalore, but the pain was just the same, if not more! It was time for action, only I was clueless about what I could do sitting across the state! I could only pray, I thought! But, those people didnt need my prayers...they needed help! And who better to help, than the millions of Malayalis spread across the globe and come together we did, and how!!!!!
Up until now, just about the only thing I'd do for relief operations was donate to an NGO I thought was most reliable and make peace with that! This time, it didnt make sense...any amount I donated wouldnt measure up to the mammoth requirements! And, by then social media was abuzz about requirements from various relief camps...and I found my calling ;)
Decided the best way to help was to send out whatever relief materials were needed and got together with a few like minded people and collected about 7-8 cartons, stocked with what we thought would be most needed! And, I put up an FB post with the hope that friends who missed my whatsapp message would see my FB post....and that one decision changed the course of the relief operations we spearheaded from our apartment! As they say, when you open your heart to giving, angels fly to your door .... and this time we saw the angel in Vivek, who reached out to us and then, what was meant to be a little contribution snowballed into a huge movement! The enormity of it is yet to sink in, but we are certain we touched a few hundred lives...!!!
Amidst all this, there were some really spiteful messages circulating on FB and Whatsapp, which I still havent heard, because honestly I dont think they deserve the attention they got! But I got the gist from friends...and frankly, it was appalling to know that people stoop to such levels even during times of tragedy! And, what was even more alarming was that there were people who believed them!!!! And, that got my goat, more than anything else.I cannot speak for anyone else...but the organisation my friends and I were involved with were transparent beyond words and we could see where even the last drop of our contributions went to! And, for me, that's enough conviction that there are many many more organisations and people who have selflessly devoted their time, energy and money for the well being of the lives of lakhs of others they dont even know! And, honestly, during times of crisis, a little positivity doesnt really hurt! If not anything else, it brings a wee bit of smile on the faces of another human being...and how difficult is it to just shut up if you have nothing good to say! Try it, saves a lot of energy!
Lakhs of people losing their homes, few hundreds losing their lives, bravehearts spearheading rescue operations, media, bureaucracy, government all working together toward the same cause and we have demented people doing their bit to sabotage the operation. To them and all the people who believed the hate messages - yes, there are a few rotten apples but they are far and few and definitely, not enough to dampen the spirit with which they function! Lord Ayyappa and Padmananbha Swamy had no business in this natural calamity...so save the thought that allowing women into Sabarimala or opening the B vault brought on this calamity! If anything, we the people, brought it onto ourselves with the rampant deforestation and filling up of water bodies to build sky-rises....there is only so much Mother Earth can tolerate and when pushed too far against the wall, even she will retaliate!
There are a lot of life lessons from the catastrophe of the past week -
1. Its the moment that is important, the past and future are really not relevant...soak in the present, for your never know what curve ball life will throw at you tomorrow....
2. Sometimes it's ok to take that blind leap of faith and relentlessly pursue that one thing you firmly believe in! Our 6 trucks to various parts of Kerala bear testimony to that fact
3. The power of a community - Up until now, I was never overtly proud of my alumni. I did not have that deep sense of attachment toward my college as I had for my school. But, the last 6 days changed all that!!!!! I have never ever been more proud to call myself an XMECIAN....what a show, guys! What a show!!!!! Take a bow...from the senior most to the junior most, everyone stepped up and did all in their might to support the cause! A lot of old bonds were rekindled and new ones formed!! And, I know there is a smile on my face as I type this....
4. I found my friends and I know my foes!
5. I have often wondered how children make friends without any inhibitions. I was always one of those people who had a "starting trouble", but not anymore! I'd never met most of the folks who came out for volunteering but we struck a conversation like long lost friends...and I am certain that none of us will forget the other anytime soon...
The relief operations are far from over and it's going to be a long long process. If anything, a good majority of the population have learnt to overlook their differences and learnt that humanity is the only true religion! The journey may seem arduous and unending, but if we continue with the same spirited performance, a complete resurrection is not that far away!!!!
After all, Malayali da!!!!! Chandranil vare nammal poi chaaya kada thudangum, pinne aano keralam enna ittavattom !!! And, I conclude with one of my favourite songs with the hope that it's not long before we get our shyama sundara keda kedara bhoomi back on her feet and regain lost glory!
https://youtu.be/aObgm5wQPdA
There is a thank you note as well!!! 😉
I have a lot many people to be thankful to for the last few days -
My mother - For stepping in and filling the gaps...i hadn't seen the inside of my home properly since 15th Aug...i think my kids thought I was the Maveli coming in for Onam this year...
The husband - he had his doubts, but he trusted me enough and was the rock solid support I needed during times of doubt (he did make me pull out my hair at times, but thats what all husbands do 😂)
Aswathy, Tiju, Preeti - for sharing the madness and walking the path with me
Vivek - for reaching out when you did and showing us the path
Xmec Mec - for the unflinching support!
Koottukar at PV - 😍
Husbands of Koottukar at PV -🙏
The bachacha party at PV 😘
The volunteers - everyone who came in, dropping all their plans just because they heard from a friend that we needed additional hands !🤗
The entire staff at PV
And most importantly, every single person who brought in enough and more supplies to fill 6 trucks!!!!😍😍🤗🤗
#doforkerala #weshallovercome
