23 Sep 2008, Bihar

It has been days since a post. There has been no time – we have been moving from place to place getting a direct idea of how things really are. And we did not have any inernet connection. The places are small – almost villages, not very developed. We are in Supaul district – one of the most affected districts. On the way for many kilometers you see rows of small plastic covered bamboo shelters on both sides of the road. The people have nowhere else to go as on both sides of the road, which is on a ridge, water stretches for kilometers, in places as deep as eight or ten or twelve feet deep. Their life is restricted to the few feet off the tarred road and till the beginning of the incline into the water.

We went as far as the road could take us. Again similar sights – kilometers of hutments on the high banks of the canal. Some of the bamboo structures are covered with tarpaulin or plastic sheets, some with the sarees or other cloth which the inhabitants can spare. But some who have neither received a plastic or tarpaulin sheet and neither have a saree to spare – sit under a bare skeleton of criss-crossing bamboo, in the hot summer sun.

It has been more than a month now from the date of the bursting of the dam – but still we find the water stretching in all directions like a sea. We find a place about half a kilometer from the main body of water and obtain the permission of the government to build our second lot of shelters and temporary hospital there. We have a new school building for our medical unit.

A day ago when we visited this place we had met a young intelligent boy who had provided us with lots of local details and had told us that his home lay across the breach in the road (the road had been washed away by the waters) and had invited us to visit. After having started the work of building the shelters we went by boat to the village which lay across the swirling waters. The locals were so happy to see us – a quarter of the population were still there, they had come back to ensure that their belongings were safe. They took us on a round of the village so that we could see first hand the destruction that the waters had wrought. They described the scene – the animals lowing in terror even before the waters reached them, in tune with nature they could sense the coming tragedy. As the waters rose, the owners unable to bear the pitiable site cut loose their animals – to survive or to die. By the time they got their family together the waters had risen to their knees. Their houses, all that they had stocked – there was just no time to save anything. How for a few days rations had been air-dropped for them, but after that there was nothing. We were the first people to come to their village to see their condition. They are religious – when we went to the houses they would talk of how lucky they were that the ‘babas’ had come to their place. They told us that they were happy that we had come there – that was enough for them, they wanted nothing further. Ah, what a contrast to civilised, educated, sophisticated city dwellers.

As we heard their stories and gazed out at the now placid waters I wondered – I know that all that we undergo is a result of our own karma but still my heart breaks and I ask, how my loving and compassionate God can meet out such harsh judgement. I know that God has done so for a good reason, and there is compassion even in this act of seeming destruction – but still my heart calls out – Why? O God, why so much suffering in this world? Why do these people have to suffer so much?

But anyway by God’s grace at least we have an opportunity to help these people. We will be distributing food here and of course our doctors will be coming here. The ashram’s work has gained wide appreciation both from the public and the administration.

— Nijamrita