The last couple of days have been heavy on Chennai. Even though the
plight of the people in Chennai has not grabbed national headlines, social
media has been very active with almost live updates.
As I was seeing some of those horrendous images, I remember travelling
through those areas while visiting Chennai on multiple occasions in the last few years. Where
earlier, it was a traffic nightmare, today it has become an island with all
modes of transport except maybe boats, disrupted.
But what overwhelmed me was the spirit of the people. Innovative methods
to offer the use of their homes, and all their resources to help people in need
no matter what their caste, creed or religion was. I even read about a little
boy who asked that his food packet be given to another boy who he felt was in
more need since the other boy was not used to hunger like this boy was.
It took a dire calamity yet again to unite people and fight to
survive… TOGETHER.
What a volte-face from days before where religion, media and politics
had started dividing Indians into Hindus, Muslims,
Christians, Sikhs and started hysterical debates on intolerance and attrition.
If a country or even a family divides itself into groups and fight each
other, the country / family will fall apart and make itself vulnerable to other
groups who can then easily take over. India is not alien to this concept but we
still insist on making the same mistakes again.
This time our Mother Nature is teaching us a valuable lesson of “Unity
is Strength” like any mother who admonishes an errant child. The question is “Are
we willing to listen and change?”
How many more such calamities – natural or man-made, will it take for us
to learn our lesson?
Meanwhile, for the people in Chennai, I salute your spirit, your will to survive and your
generosity. Together, you will get past this; I say this from my own experience
on and after the July 26th 2005 floods in Mumbai.
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