The people of Chennai and the neighbouring areas of the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu are slowly disentangling themselves from the misery that drowned the city for days as they recently received torrential rains that unleashed nature’s fury at its worst.
With several areas submerged by water, the lower floors of many apartments were flooded and many were forced to evacuate; people experienced severe shortages of food, water and essential supplies and several lives were lost. Harrowing tales emerged of a woman who sat for nearly 20 hours with the body of her mother who had passed away, unable to reach the morgue, and of a pregnant woman who needed to be airlifted as well as people dying due to power failures in hospitals.
However, that was not the end of the downpour. It seemed as though the floodgates had simultaneously opened in the metropolis and other affected areas as there was an outpouring of compassion, cooperation and empathy from the average Chennai citizen as people united to reach out to those in need.
Individuals turned out in large numbers, taking the lead in relief work and supporting government efforts. People opened up their homes to strangers, helped in rescuing residents from water-logged areas, cooked and distributed food throughout the day and night. Temples, mosques, churches, wedding halls and homes were opened up for the shivering and shelterless as religious, social and other differences were doused by the rains.
Simultaneously, social media was inundated with posts and tweets spreading the good work done by the ordinary citizens and unsung heroes as people elsewhere in the country and many abroad also actively posted pictures, comments and messages about the selfless efforts and also shared valuable information that could be of help.
Many were amazed by the spirit of the people of Chennai who refused to be dampened by the floods and helped put others before themselves. People from the neighbouring states sent aid and offered shelter.
Several groups in the UAE also coordinated to send essential supplies to the people of Chennai and neighbouring areas left devastated by the rains.
The flood waters receded, leaving behind not only filth and mammoth tasks to be completed, but also valuable lessons of resilience, stoicism and the spirit of giving and sharing. Even during the calamity, the calmness and equanimity that pervaded the city left lasting imprints for the rest of the country to emulate.
Once again, the hope in humanity was restored as we were reminded of the remarkable strength of the Indianness and the courage of the ordinary survivor that has helped the nation bounce back from the Odisha floods of 1999, the Bhopal gas tragedy of 1984, the Gujarat earthquake in 2001, the numerous man-made crises and the social quagmires.
Most importantly, the Chennai floods have reminded each one of us of the need to unite to defend the heritage of centuries that we are all proud of and help rise above recent controversies — including injustices against women, intolerance and the social issues plaguing India.
It is not enough to quote a few anecdotes, to have endless drawing-room discussions about the situation and then settle into the same complacency.
Each of those within India and abroad needs to contribute through financial or other means, lending their voices to a cause, taking recourse to social media to lend support or any other simple effort that can count as a drop that helps form the floods of change that we want to see.
Fyna Ashwath is a writer based in Dubai.
