“Days passed, then weeks and a month now. I am frightened by this date (26th) the Republic day, which reminds me of the furious wave. The house shook and I fell down, the sea started coming towards me like a monster and I started running for my life . But for what? I lost my husband and three grand children…. I don’t find life worth living.” Said Rajaji, 60 yrs old.
The 56th Republic day was the darkest Republic day ever for the Tsunami victims.
When the whole of India woke up to celebrate the 56th republic day, it was not a day meant for celebration in the quiet village of Karikkattlu Kuppam. This day marked a month passed since the Tsunami took its toll on the villagers leaving behind a total of 10 dead and several injured.
The date itself (26th) is now considered synonymous with death and the villagers have already wiped out this date from their calendars.
On this fearful morning, each volunteer from Namgyal Monastry and TYC went out of their way to call each member from their Green Tents. Most of the villagers were not willing to venture out of their tents, as they feared that the day might bring another disaster.
Around 9:30 in the morning, all the villagers gathered in the front of the relief camp and one of the volunteers spoke to the villagers in their native language, comforting them with the pride and glory of nationhood that the day beckoned. All the villagers proudly carried their Tri-Colour National Flag on their chests, which were distributed by the volunteers.
The impromptu function to commemorate Republic Day started with the proud rendition of the Indian National Anthem followed by the Tibetan National Anthem. A minute’s silence was then observed to mourn the deaths of all those who had passed away a month before on this same day.
After that, bed sheets, towels and oil were distributed to all the families.
All the proceeding were shown live on Zee TV. The Hindi news channel was here in order to observe the aftermath of the Tsunami. They were very impressed with the way the volunteers had handled the relief work. The chief reporter was quoted as saying, “I will come with my family on the 30th so that they can see on their own what great service the Tibetan Youths have rendered.”
As part of the Republic Day programme, hand in hand, children along with the volunteers cleaned the surroundings by picking up garbage. The idea was to create an environment conscious future coupled with a cleaning game during which the children who had collected the largest amount of garbage were rewarded with toys and gifts.
Two sacks of clothes were distributed among the villagers, which were collected from the Tibetan Students studying in Chandigarh. During the distribution it was very heart warming to see the villagers having fun-filled quarrels among themselves – a sea of change from the fear of death to the simple pleasures of life.
The ‘Tsunami Emergency Relief’ is a joint effort of the Namgyal Monastery and the Tibetan Youth Congress.
