The scenic route: Bangalore to Chennai. This is in the morning, about an hour after we set off and the sun makes an appearance.
AID India in Chennai had suggested we carry games and sports stuff for kids as they love volleyball and cricket in this area.
We join a gang of kids for a game of cricket in Killai village.
After talking to locals, we decided to make it to MGR Thittu, an island about 1/2 km from the shore. A settlement of 100 families and the death toll is about 65, with 5 still missing. We are taken across by a catamaran by two boatmen – Anbazhagan and Arivazhagan. His wife is also travelling with us. they have lost a daughter called Reenu.
A lady who has lost all her belongings tell us how she saved her three children. Her smallest one nearly drowned, but she caught her by her hair and pulled her to safety. She is relatively well off as her belongings outside – TV, grinder, perfumes etc. – suggest. And she refuses to take any money, after treating us all to coconut water.
Cows come and congregate on the beach everyday, swimming about half a kilometre from the shore to the island. Half the cattle folk perished and the ones who survived come back here everyday because they were raised on the island, the village folk tell us. Many of them have lost their owners.
Remains of the day: An upturned chair on the beach.
The gang, surveying the beautiful beach in the island, now scattered with debris.
A family (the lady we met earlier) recovering whatever it could from the debris and carrying it back to the shore in a boat.
Art activities with the kids of MGR Thittu who are all now displaced from their island. They are delighted with the crayons and paper and immediately get to work!
Chitra (extreme right) encourages the kids…
Lunch break at Hotel Pallavi, Chidambaram. On the left, Suman and Nanda reviewing the pictures.
We distributed 4 sets of fishing nets and paraphernelia to a few villagers from Pillamedu – Govindan (the village head), Pandiarajan, Velayudham, Rajagopal and Sanjeev Gandhi. They stay at the relief camp at Killai village near the Killai Police station.
Late evening we come back to Chidambaram. We decide to make a quick visit to the famous Chidambaram temple. Nanda even got us into the inner sanctum of the temple. A view of the beautiful relief work on a rath outside the famous and huge Chidambaram temple.
The Mahabalipuram Shore Temple was not badly affected but the area around it bears proof of the damage done. 80 shops just outside were totally destroyed.
Footprints on the sand of time, Shore Temple.
Relief camps dotting the scenic East Coast Road.
On the East Coast Road, while returning from Mahabalipuram is the Crocodile Bank. This was started in 1976 by herpetologist Romulus Whitaker to protect India’s dwindling crocodile population and to preserve the snake catching. This bank has already produced more than 6,000 crocodiles. And around 5000 of them lolling around in different positions. Quite an experience.
The Rajiv Gandhi memorial at Sriperumbedur, on the Bangalore-Chennai route, built in the spot he was assassinated in 1991.
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Kudos! to all u guys … keep the good work going 🙂
thanks kishore. i do hope more and more people pitch in whatever way they can.
hey, you guys are doing a great job… thanks from everyone who wants to help out in the way you are but cant..
Good job guys. I hope this will be an inspiration for more people to get involved. Keep up the good work.
People like me just blog about it, but people like you Anita, Kribs, Suman, Chitra and others are into action. Excellent work. God bless you all.
that’s great work u are doing! BTW I cdnt open the link for nanda’s photo essay… I get a 404.
Congrats on the great work Anita.
Its great to be a “first hand” help to all those required.
-Srikanth
prashant: thanks. i definitely hope that more people will pitch in with whatever they can.
thanks sam and reflex.
twilight: thanks. and i’ve fixed the link too…
thanks srikanth.
Inspiring stuff, Anita! Kudos to all of you!
‘Fishing nets and paraphernalia’ Liked it. 🙂 Hope Kribs did too.
Good work guys…
“Doing the smallest good deed is better
that the greatest good intention” they say..
We salute U…
Keep the good work going.
God bless.
Cheez! I was there 🙂
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As a socially conscious organization and moreover an organization involved in supplying fishing net materials we have undertaken several relief activities since the Tsunami struck India, in order to help the affected families to recover from this unfortunate disaster.
We wish to extend our support to the NGO’s aiming to provide fishing nets to the fishermen.
We are in a position to supply the fishing nets required in various areas in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. As the net requirement of fishermen is highly complex and varying across regions, we wish to offer our services in supplying the right fishing nets and as the requirement is unprecedented use our relationship with the many net manufacturers in sourcing these nets.
We offer our assistance to you in identifying the right nets for different locations in these regions, effective sourcing and distribution of fishing nets.
Looking forward to your response.
With regards,
Satish Krishnamurthy
SRF Polymers Ltd
Fish Net Business
‘TUFLON CENTRE’
SIB, Amar Sindur, 43 Pantheon Road
Egmore, Chennai – 600008. India.
Tel : +91 44 52028297 / 52016692 / 52016690
Mobile : +91 94440 76012
Fax : +91 44 5202 8997
Email : sathishk@srf.com
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Great job guys, keep doing . I am much inspired by ur work