BuddhaSmiles
A Project of Spirit in life movement
Public Educational and Charitable Trust, Vellore. Tamil Nadu, India.
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BuddhaSmilesA Project of Spirit in life movementPublic Educational and Charitable Trust, Vellore. Tamil Nadu, India. |
I have had the opportunity of being engaged in earthquake relief works in the Dharbhanga district of Bihar and the Uttarkashi district of then Uttarpradesh(now the state of Uttranchal). On both these occasions I was engaged in organising the immediate relief measures like supply of food items, basic medicine and shelter materials.
This time after the Tsunami attack on 26th December 2005 in south and southeast Asia I visited the Tsunami hit areas of Tamil Nadu coast on behalf of Buddha Smiles/Spirit in Life Movement to survey the damages and destruction caused by the Tsunami. More importantly to make an assessment of how we can respond to the challenge and attend to the sufferings of the people in the coastal villages in a meaningful way.
Buddha Smiles/Spirit in Life Movement did not have the required human, medical, and financial resources to attend and undertake the more immediate relief measures like supply of food, medicines and building temporary shelters. But remained committed to the idea of contributing towards the long-term relief measures � goal of rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Tsunami hit villages. One of the major objectives of participation in this programme of rehabilitation and reconstruction is to assess the damage and destruction of the existing schools as well as contribute towards building new schools besides rebuilding the existing ones.
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I visited several affected villages and temporary camps in the Nagapattinam District of Tamil Nadu during this survey period. The villages include: Pattinamchari in Nagore, Samanthanpettai, Nambiyar Nagar, Ariyanattu Theru, Keechankuppam, Akkaripettai, Kallaru and the ITI Camp in Nagapattinam. Buddha Smiles is currently engaged in similar survey in other affected areas like Velankanni, Sethkoor and Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam District and other villages in the Cuddalore and Kanyakumari Districts of Tamil Nadu coast as well. During my visit I met the fishing community elders/leaders, local panchayat(local government) leaders, women and the school teachers.
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The community elders showed great interest and keenness in building new schools for the children in their villages. This was quite evident in case of villages � Keechankuppam, Pattinamcheri in Nagore and Samanthanpettai. The existing schools are both damaged badly and the children are refusing to go the places located too close to the sea. The need for building schools in these villages therefore becomes necessary. The proposal for building schools should be extended to other villages which do not have a school yet. |
Tsunami has revealed the vulnerabilities of fishing communities in the coastal areas. Among several areas of concern, lack of education is also an important concern to look into. The fishing community has no work, no alternative occupation and no life until a solution to their present situation is found. Fishing is the only vocation they know. Education among the youth and children has not been encouraged by the fishing community because of reluctance and uncertainty of life outside their ingrained domain of sea and fishing as the only vocation. Buddha Smiles/Spirit in Life Movement is deeply committed to addressing this concern of education among the fishing community as well as the challenge of building schools in these villages.
Another major concern of this survey is to examine and understand the future of orphan children in several Tsunami affected villages in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu. The case study of Samanthanpettai is a relevant subject in this context. There are at least seventy-five children in this village who have either lost both their parents or at least one of them but with little opportunity for rebuilding their lives under present circumstances. The image of this village or a situation of this kind is like a broken mirror. We can neither see nor withdraw completely. The silent trauma of this village is evident in the faces of elders as they narrate the loss of human lives and boats and the impact on the lives of children. The local community is deeply concerned about the future of these orphan children but firm with a view that the children need not be sent out or dislocated from their local community roots. But more permanent care and assistance should be established to address their social, psychological and more importantly economic needs. Adoption of these children is not seen as an appropriate solution but rendering assistance to enable them to come good of the challenge is seen as an honourable option.
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Buddha Smiles/Spirit in Life Movement considers the need to build child care and community centres/ Vocational training centres for the youth and rehabilitation measures like counseling to help recover and rebuild their lives. The people in the fishing villages respect human values more than any particular religious sentiments. Therefore the emphasis of reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction should be based on human and universal values. Interfaith initiatives can be of great help in these situations than any particular religious orientations. There are several religious groups belonging to Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism and Buddhism engaged constructively in these villages. INEB (International Network of Engaged Buddhists) and other global spiritual initiatives can possibly become engaged in this area of rehabilitation and reconstruction by choosing to support programmes that demonstrate care and commitment towards undertaking long-term development goals for orphan children and vocational training of youth in these villages as an integral part of reconciliation and reconstruction. |
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The larger and more vital concerns of the fishing community need to be
highlighted here. Most of the fishermen have no craft,
catamarans or boats left to resume fishing. People are seen idling
away their time in mixed feelings of hope and frustration. The most
important consideration for them is the need to get back to the sea and the
restoration of fishing activities. There is no clarity yet on the
amount to be paid as relief for those who lost their homes, boats and
fishing equipments. The government subsidy and loan facilities
to buy boats are yet to be sorted out given the nature of co-ordination
between the Centre and the State government. Political parties have
not completely removed themselves from the electoral and party-political
considerations in disbursement of subsidies, loan facilities and other
economic packages. There is more debate among the political parties
about the name of the economic package than its content.
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The location of settlement area is also a matter of continuing discussion between the fishing community and the government. Most of the fishing communities/villages are opposed to relocation from their fishing hamlets and in case of others they do not want to be too far away from the beach. This can be understood from the fact that fishing activities such as fish landing, sorting, auctioning and drying of nets usually take place on the shore/ at the beach itself. Therefore the fishing community is demanding the government to build stone mounts/stone walls/stone bridges. But several environmental groups and leaders of the fishing communities also argue in favour of a natural fence of mangroves and other trees in preference to concrete or stone structures. The Pichavaram mangrove forest in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu saved about six thousand people living in six hamlets. These villages are located between 100 metres and one kilometre from the mangroves. Sea water did not enter these villages and hence there was no loss of lives and property. M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation quoted a local resident as saying: � We saved the mangroves by restoring them and it saved our life and property.�
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Buddha Smiles/Spirit in Life Movement considers the possibility of adopting few villages on the coastline to create a bio-shield movement that will serve as speed-breakers under conditions of coastal storms, cyclones and tsunami as well as serve as carbon sinks. This bio-shield movement can be adopted as a community based strategy in several villages along the coastline. Buddha Smiles/Spirit in Life Movement will be happy to explore the possibility of creating a bio-shield movement from the Nambiyar Nagar village in the Nagapattinam coast. The community elders of this village did express their willingness to participate in this bio-shield movement and in fact want the village. to be adopted as a model village.
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Nambiyar Nagar village is the oldest and most ancient among the fishing villages on the Nagapattinam coast. There are more chances of other villages joining this bio-shield movement.
An objective assessment of Buddha Smiles/Spirit in Life Movement�s participation in the programme of rehabilitation and reconstruction can be grouped under the following categories:
(1) Building new schools in at least five villages in Nagapattinam, Cuddalore and Kanyakumari Districts;
(2) to undertake specific educational and future employment-oriented development initiatives for the orphan children;
(3) adopt villages to encourage bio-shield movement and promote conservation on the coastal areas;
(4) to encourage and participate in reconciliation and reconstruction process through spiritual and community building initiatives, and
(5) to function as an advocacy group of the fishing community�s rights/needs with a long-term orientation goals such as building educational and alternative vocational opportunities.
Buddha Smiles / Spirit in Life Movement hopes to join the Government of Tamil Nadu in building schools, Child Welfare Centres and Vocational Training Centres besides the commitment to adopt villages as part of coastal conservation strategy of bio-shield movement. Spirit in Life Movement is responding as a Non-Governmental Organisation with a specific purpose of building schools, child welfare centres and vocational training centres under Option-2 as offered by the Tamil Nadu Government. This requires a minimum commitment of five million Indian Rupees. More importantly this minimum commitment of five million Indian rupees (approximately 118,000 US $) must be demonstrated on/or before 31st March 2005. The right of choice of beneficiaries, villages and the design of buildings will rest ultimately with the Buddha Smiles/Spirit in Life Movement.
How can you Help and Participate in this Programme of Rehabilitation and Reconstruction?
| You can contribute any sum depending on your ability and other important commitments. Buddha Smiles/ Spirit in Life Movement values each contribution as the same and wishes to involve more people in the process through a minimum sum of 10 US $. We also request you to appeal to your family, friends, colleagues and the local spiritual/religious community or charity organisations for help on behalf of Buddha Smiles/ Spirit in Life Movement. It will be more useful if you adopt a sustained effort during this period in reaching a beneficial target sum and encourage more people to contribute. It is quite possible that several people may have already contributed for immediate relief measures and there are many more waiting to contribute towards long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction works like building schools and other basic facilities. You can make a difference by your creative and constructive social engagement at this hour of crisis and challenge before us. Do kindly share this message with your friends and the local community. Buddha Smiles/Spirit in Life Movement greatly appreciates your help. |
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You can collect money until THE LAST WEEK OF MARCH, 2005 AND WIRE the contributions before 31st March 2005. After you send the money do kindly write to us informing the transfer and also seek acknowledgement of the receipt of the money sent by you. You can wire transfer to the bank account given here:
Name of the Account Holder: Ramu Manivannan
Savings Account Number: 011 900 466 10
Name of the Bank: STATE BANK OF INDIA
Address : Main Branch, Officers Lane,
Vellore- 632 001
Tamil Nadu, INDIA
SWIFT ID : SBININBB 471
Please use swift ID number for wire transfer and do remember to mention the purpose as: Tsunami Relief Contribution.
If you wish to send a cheque, please send it in the name of � SPIRIT IN LIFE MOVEMENT�and post it to:
SPIRIT IN LIFE MOVEMENT
PUBLIC EDUCATIONAL AND CHARITABLE TRUST
NO. 4B, FIRST WEST MAIN ROAD
OPP: HOTEL PARK AVENUE
ANNA NAGAR, VELLORE � 632001
TAMIL NADU INDIA
*You are most welcome to write to Ramu Manivannan for more information and
clarifications in this regard.
Ramu Manivannan
Chairperson of the Buddha Smiles Programme
Spirit in Life Movement
No.4B, First West Main Road
Anna Nagar, Vellore-632001, TN, INDIA
e-mail: [email protected], [email protected] &
Telephone: + 91+ 416 + 2216 844
+ 91 + 11 + 55 79 88 28
Note: All donations made to SPIRIT IN LIFE MOVEMENT are tax deductible under section 80G of the Income Tax Act of 1961.
