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An Ode to Resilience

A P Kamath

The key word was 'resilience'.

From Shabana Azmi to Deepak Chopra, half-a-dozen speakers at the press conference on Friday in San Jose asserted how resilient victims of January's earthquake in Gujarat have been.

In fact, Chopra felt the victims were stronger than the relief workers and experts helping them. They were so resilient that within a few weeks of the disaster they were taking control of their shattered lives.

The press conference took place before the fund-raising concert with former US president Bill Clinton as the chief guest. Nearly $ 1.7 million was raised from ticket sales and pledges during the concert featuring rap artist M C Hammer and his born-again Christian group.

Joining Azmi and Chopra in hailing Gujarati resilience was C K Prahlad, one of America's bestknown management gurus. Citing Amul as an example, he noted how strong the co-operative movement was in Gujarat. This and other examples of self-reliance were now helping the Gujaratis cope with the crisis and resurrect themselves faster than expected, he said.

"There is tremendous awareness about co-operative movements and citizens coming together," he added.

Azmi echoed his sentiments. The attitude that the "sarkar [government] should do everything" to help the victims simply wasn't there, she noted.

"Often the victims themselves help the NGOs [non-governmental organisations] and government agencies to be more effective," she said, adding that the citizens's initiative in Gujarat could set an example for victims in other tragedies elsewhere.

When a reporter asked Prahlad if India would one day be able to help other countries hit by earthquakes, he replied: "Certainly, I would certainly think so." But "what is important in Gujarat is not just the rebuilding activity, but what kind of reconstruction work is going to be."

Apart from building homes that are eco-friendly, he said efforts should be made for disaster preparedness. "We will be able to offer our expertise in many areas," he said.

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