It's been 10 years since the devastating Asian Tsunami happened. How have things changed on the ground since then, especially for those who bore the brunt of that disaster? To find the answer, I recently visited some villages along the east coast of India. Shared here are few glimpses of life I saw there.
And now there's another shrine - The Tsunami Temple
The Tsunami in 2004 took a lot - lives, homes and assets included - but also gave something. This structure, for example, emerged out of the sea next to the famous shore temple of Mahabalipuram and quickly gained popularity as the Tsunami Temple. Natarajan, a tourist guide told me, 'this is our latest attraction' and then, "but you can't go there. It's too slippery". Now, that's a fitting gift of a disaster!
"Tourism matters, tourists matter, we don't"
Prabhakar Sharma sells souvenirs on the beach. After the Tsunami in 2004, the government was quick to restore the Shore Temple of Mahabalipuram, he said. But, for the owners of over 100 makeshift shops that were also destroyed by the tsunami, there hasn't been any compensation. A bitter Sharma told me this : "The govt invested well into restoring the temple and the facilities for the tourists. But we, the beach traders who sustain the tourists interests, were left to lick our own wounds. We just didn't matter"
A new trail of disasters
There is an alarming rate of erosion along the coast and every village has at least half a dozen houses that are in various stages of destruction.
And now there's another shrine - The Tsunami Temple
The Tsunami in 2004 took a lot - lives, homes and assets included - but also gave something. This structure, for example, emerged out of the sea next to the famous shore temple of Mahabalipuram and quickly gained popularity as the Tsunami Temple. Natarajan, a tourist guide told me, 'this is our latest attraction' and then, "but you can't go there. It's too slippery". Now, that's a fitting gift of a disaster!
"Tourism matters, tourists matter, we don't"
Prabhakar Sharma sells souvenirs on the beach. After the Tsunami in 2004, the government was quick to restore the Shore Temple of Mahabalipuram, he said. But, for the owners of over 100 makeshift shops that were also destroyed by the tsunami, there hasn't been any compensation. A bitter Sharma told me this : "The govt invested well into restoring the temple and the facilities for the tourists. But we, the beach traders who sustain the tourists interests, were left to lick our own wounds. We just didn't matter"
A new trail of disasters
There is an alarming rate of erosion along the coast and every village has at least half a dozen houses that are in various stages of destruction.
