The story gives an account of the storm that hit the coastal
town of Ersama in Odisha state in the year 1999. A young boy Prashant faced the
fury of the storm and reached his village. The details of how he worked hard to
help the villagers overcome the devastation caused by the storm inspire us to
have courage and a positive approach towards life. This is written by Harsh
Mander. He is an Indian author, teacher, and social activist.
Meanings of some words and phrases:
Menacing: dangerous and harmful
Fury: extreme strength
Incessant: unceasing, continuous
Ancient: old
Rent: filled
Swirled: moved or flowed along with a whirling motion
Mortar: a mixture of lime, cement, sand, and water used to
construct buildings
Surge: gush
Refuge: shelter
Wrought: produced as a result of something
Fractured: broken
Bloated: swollen
animal carcasses: dead bodies of animals
blessing in disguise: an apparent misfortune that eventually
has good results
Tender: soft, raw
huddled: together in a group
flashed through his mind: came to his mind
Bereaved: to have lost a family member or a friend to death
Recede: reduce
Expedition: journey
Waded: swam
Macabre: horrible
Catastrophe: disaster
Remnants: small remaining quantities
eyes brimming: eyes were full of tears
Motley: desperate, varied in appearance or character
Battered: injured
Tumult: uproar of a disorderly crowd force
Triumphantly: victoriously
Bellies: stomach
Orphaned: a child who loses either one or both of his
parents to death
Stigma: disgrace
foster families: a family that provides custody or
guardianship for children whose parents are dead or unable to look after them
Summary:
Weathering the Storm in Erasma narrates the adventures of a
young man Prashant who was marooned on a rooftop for two nights following a
dreadful storm.
Prashant had gone to the coastal town of Erasma in Orissa to
spend a day with his friend seven years after his mother’s demise. It was that
fateful day the storm-lashed in full fury with heavy wind and rain. Trees were
uprooted and water entered neck deep inside the friend’s house. For two days,
everyone took refuge on the roof until the situation calmed down a bit.
Although everyone tried to pursue Prashant to stay for a few
more days as the situation had not fully settled, he was determined to move
ahead. Using a stick to guide him, he waded his way through the water to his
village, eighteen kilometers away. He found his family members in a Red Cross
shelter. Things were not going on well in the Red Cross camp. He filled in as a
leader and did several things to solve the problems they faced.
Prashant saw a crowd of 2500 people at the shelter. Many had
lost their families in the disaster. They were grief-stricken as the
catastrophe had snatched everything. For the last 2 days, they had survived on green
coconuts but they were running out of stock. Prashant took control of the
situation. He formed a group with some elders and young people. They persuaded
the merchant to give them the stock of rice and after 4 days the crowd ate a
meal. Then the group of volunteers cleaned the shelter and tended to the
injured people. Prashant engaged the widows to work for an NGO which gave food
for work. He engaged the children by arranging sports matches for them. The
volunteers managed to set up foster families comprising of the widows, orphaned
children, and lone men who would form a family and support each other. Like this
Prashant overcame his grief.
Think About It:
1. What havoc has the super cyclone wreaked in the life of
the people of Orissa?
The super cyclone devastated everything in Orissa. The majority of the houses had blown away by the strong winds and rains. Muddy water covered
everything as far as the eye could see. Many people lost their lives. Bloated
animal carcasses and human corpses floated in every direction. Even the
strongest of the trees had been uprooted. People became homeless. Children lost
their parents and became orphans. There was a shortage of food and drinking
water. People were sad and helpless. The scenes were gruesome and
heart-wrenching.
2. How has Prashant, a teenager, been able to help the
people of his village?
Prashant, who was a teenager decided to help the people of
his village by stepping in as a leader. He organized a group of youths and
elders to jointly pressurize the merchant to given rice for the people living
in the shelter. After this, he organized a team of youth volunteers to clean
the shelter and to tend wounds and fractures of the many who had been injured.
Prashant found that a large number of children had been
orphaned. He brought them together and constructed a polythene shelter for
them. He asked some women to look after them. He conducted sports events and
cricket matches for children to keep them active and engaged.
Women were mobilized to look after the orphan kids, while
the men secured food and other essentials for the shelter. When he realized
that the women were becoming too grief-stricken, he persuaded them to start
working in the food-for-work program.
3. How have the people of the community helped one another?
What role do the women of Kalikuda play during these days?
The people of the community came together to help one
another under the leadership of Prashant. They jointly started the relief work.
They persuaded the merchant to part with his rice for the people in the
shelter. They gathered branches from fallen trees to lit a fire, on which they
cooked rice for all to eat.
When the military helicopter did not return after dropping
some food parcels, the youth task force made the children lie in the sand with
the empty utensils on their stomachs to communicate to the passing helicopters
that they were hungry. This formula worked well and the helicopter started
making regular rounds of the shelter to drop food and other basic needs.
Women were mobilized to look after the orphans, while the
men secured food and other essentials for the shelter. Women started working in
the food-for-work program started by an NGO.
4. Why do Prashant and other volunteers resist the plan to
set up institutions for orphans and widows? What alternatives do they consider?
Prashant and the other volunteers resisted the plan to set
up separate institutions for orphans and widows because they felt that in such
institutions children will grow up without love and affection and widows would
suffer from stigma and loneliness.
Prashant and his group suggested that the children and widows should be resettled in their own community where they can get a homely environment. They suggested setting up of foster families made up of childless widows and children without adult care.
5. Do you think Prashant is a good leader? Do you think
young people can get together to help people during natural calamities?
Yes, there is no doubt that Prashant is a very good leader.
He has all the qualities of a leader.
Though he himself was grief-stricken, he got a hold of himself and
decided to initiate the relief work in the village. He helped the people of his
village in every possible manner to bring their lives back on the track. He is
full of energy and has great motivational power.
Yes, young people can definitely get together to help people
during natural calamities. Youth is the power of a society who can use their
strength and vigor to help people in need.
