On December 26, 2004 as families went to the beach to soak in the sun and salty air; as couples enjoyed long walks on the Marina shores, little did they realise they would be struck by nature’s fury.
It was reported that the energy released on the earth’s surface only by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami was 1500 times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb. While cries of pleas were drowned in the mighty waves, several people hoped for a glimpse of their loved ones. Lives were lost, homes were shattered. Gathering remnants of courage, as people built their lives from scratch, memories of the tragic day still remain fresh amongst several Bangaloreans who watched the catastrophe unfold on television and internet.
“I still remember that day. The news channels were showing horrible images throughout the day. I was in my first year of engineering. I can’t even begin to imagine what people might have gone through that day. Children were crying for their mothers. People had lost their families and homes. I didn’t think we would ever recover from that shock. However, we did. We built homes and shelter again. We survived. And, that is our greatest achievement,” said Sandhya S, MNC employee.
On the other hand, Prasanna K, an IT professional, felt that had there been proper warning, the damage could have been reduced. “Though now, systems have been installed where early warnings of tsunami will be given to people residing on the coastline; I strongly feel that this should have been done a long time ago. Why wait for a tragedy to occur? We might have moved on with our lives but for those who lost everything, emotional scars will always remain,” said Prasanna.
Likewise, Ashvitha S, MNC employee too feels that most of the people have either moved on or don’t really remember the incident. “I was still in school that time. I remember my father frantically trying to reach his friends in Chennai. Though everyone was safe and sound, the emotional trauma that one’s loved ones have to go through at that point is disturbing. We cannot predict nature’s course. But I think we should learn from such incidents and ensure that a better scientific system is put in place,” she said.