Nature's fury and Us.
I have been very lucky. Third year in a row that I got to go to desh...bharat, India, "the land of a million mutinies" and she still teaches.
As with Jan 26, a terrible atrocity was unleashed by nature on Dec. 26, days before my landing. A massive earthquake triggered a tsunami that engulfed thousands on coastal area of South-East Asia. India too was not spared, coming a unenviable third in the list of casualties. Unlike the US, the tsunami remained till the day of my departure a short 2.5 weeks later on the front pages.
While people will readily agree that rehabilitation counts more than anything and discussions will galore, I want to log the gist of a few stories here before memory fails me: * India giving: Common man and corporations both doled out donations generously. Gujarat govt. was proactive in sending relief supplies within 2 days of the tragedy (something to be said about the planning of the much maligned CM Mody) with the support of nearly 200 NGOs in the st...