Tag: Flood Relief Bihar2008
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Knee deep in dirty waters
10th September, Bhaliya, Bowanipur While the doctors were busy with their medical service on another part of the city we went visiting more in accessible places, so that we could reach out to more and more needy people. So along with a local press reporter as our guide we left Bowanipur, and went by boat to Bhaliya, as the road to that village had been cut off by floods. After a 20 minute boat journey where we saw villages, fields, orchards, schools and roads submerged fully or partially we reached the relief camp being held at the local middle school…
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The initial days in Bihar
10 Sep 2008, Bihar The initial days here in Bihar have been extremely tough for me physically and mentally. We have been running from camp to camp offering medical support for the effected, at times it was difficult for me to just film the situation, without being directly involved, having to stay always behind the camera, feeling completely useless. But what could I do, Im not a Doctor, nor can I speak Hindi to console the people. All I can do was watch, and people watched me with such intensity expecting me to do something, to say something. But I…
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They worship mankind
9 Sep 2008, Bihar Today in the morning we had a surprise but welcome visitor. Shri. Avdhesh Narain Singh, the hon’ble minister for labour came to our accommodation to consult our doctors! What better validation for the quality of services we are providing to the people of Bihar! After finishing some of the endless jobs that always seem to be there we set off for Bhawanipur where we were to build our first shelter for the flood affected. When we reached there the bamboo we needed for putting up the structure was not there. As Bihar is a new place…
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The Land that forgot Time!
9 Sep 2008, Bihar Yesterday we had a medical camp in Janaki Nagar, but at another locality within that general area. As usual as soon as we set up our facilities there was a huge line of patients were waiting impatiently to be examined. After getting the prescription from the doctors, the patients were to register their names and some minor details with us so that we could keep track of the trend in illnesses in a camp. And using this system we were actually able to determine that the cases of diarrhea were on the increase in the camp.…
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Bamboos for first shelter
Sept 9th 2008, Bowanipur, Bihar The morning started with lots of activities. A team of doctors and paramedics had gone to a pharmaceutical company storehouse for getting a large supply of medicines as we were running out of medicines. Shri Avdesh Narayan Singh, the Minister in Charge for Purnia and also Labour Minister for Bihar Govt. arrived to consult the doctors about his diabetes and Blood Pressure. Dr Ram Mohan gave him an excellent diagnosis and prognosis, with which made the Minister very happy. He left promising all kinds of assistance for our activities here and was given a parting…
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Making a promise to Amma
Sept 8th 2008, Purnia, Bihar. Today Br. Unni who heads the ashram fabrication works arrived from Amritapuri. As he had to be helped in the purchases of hardware for erecting temporary shelters, we split into two teams, one with the doctors for the medical camp and me and Unni along with a local person to make the necessary purchases, open an account in the main SBI Branch at Purnia, meet with the local MP to finalise the location for the temporary shelters. While we were at the MP’s house, the Minister in charge for Purnia who is also the Labour…
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The word has gone around
7 Sep 2008, Purnia Today was a very interesting day. Br Nijamrita and Dr Rammohan and myself went to meet the District Magistrate Mr Sridhar to discuss various issues regarding setting up a long term temporary shelters and to finalize the place for it. During the meeting he also suggested various relief camps which were very much in need of medical services. One of them was the Janata colony better known as the Aam Bagh camp because it is located in a mango grove. We reached there around mid day and saw thousands of small hut type accommodations all around,…
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Dying is cowardice
7 Sep 2008, Bihar The second day of camps. We went to Banmankhi – opposite in direction to Bhawanipur where we went yesterday. It was a camp of ramshackle huts – made of bamboo and plastic in most part. Again the same scenes of poverty and lack. When we reached there and were setting up a sort of enclosure for our doctors a few of the local people came over to talk. Maybe the colour of our clothes held some special meaning for them. Stories of how the water rushed in at mid-night, how they all scrambled for their lives,…
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I could go to Bihar?
04/09/06 Amritapuri I was standing behind Mother on a darshan day when She started talking to Brahmachari Nijamrita about Bihar and the flooding that was causing Hundreds of thousands of people to be displaced from their homes. I had heard about it on TV and in the newspapers, so I was eager to see how Mother would react to the disaster. She wasted no time in making phone calls to Her Brahmacharins in different parts of India to make arrangements for aid relief in the affected areas. I was witnessing Her compassion first hand and felt blessed to see Her…