 |
Channels |  |
In Focus |
| Cartoons |
| Education |
| Environment |
| Opinion |
| Photo Essays |
Columns |
| Business |
| Random Thoughts |
Our Heritage |
| Astrology |
| Ayurveda |
| Buddhism |
| Cinema |
| Culture |
| Festivals |
| Hinduism |
| History |
| People |
| Places |
| Sikhism |
| Spirituality |
Society & Lifestyle |
| Parenting |
| Perspective |
| Recipes |
| Society |
| Teens |
| Women |
Creative Writings |
| Computing |
| Humor |
| Individuality |
| Literary Shelf |
| Memoirs |
| Quotes |
| Stories |
| Travelogues |
| Workshop |
| Random Thoughts | Share This Page | |
|
Tsunami: And Life Goes On ... |
||
| by Sharath Bhat |
|
|
|
I slip out of a nice warm bed and stumble into the bathroom. I turn on a tap... and there's water. I flick a switch... and there's light. I then wander into my kitchen where I flick another switch, which brings alive a fancy coffee maker ' just the thing I need to jumpstart my day.
Coffee mug in hand, I settle into a recliner and turn on my TV. I see a kaleidoscope of images showing the devastation left behind by the Tsunamis. (Till last week, this word was not part of the vocabulary of the man on the street). I see people looking dazed, lost and orphaned. People without shoes, without clothes... without families. Leave alone plumbing that works, they don't even have a roof over their heads. Many of these images are so graphic and poignant, that I soon find myself switching off the set...by pressing a little remote button from the comfort of my recliner. The people I've seen on TV don't have a remote in their hands to rewind the last few days, or turn off the desolation they have suddenly been flooded into. I feel guilty and helpless. I should be thinking of doing something. Maybe I can donate some money. I'm no millionaire, so how much could I donate ? Would the money actually reach them ? Maybe I can drop off some clothes at the collection point nearby...but will the clothes actually reach them ? Maybe I should volunteer and visit some of the flood ravaged areas, to lend a helping hand. But my doctor mentioned last week that my fitness levels were at a rock bottom low. (I walk up two flights of stairs and I'm running out of breath.) I'm saddened. I'm devastated. I'm moved. What can I really do that will touch the lives of these people ? My "reach out for the victims" muse is suddenly interrupted by the telephone ring. It's an important client who needs a job done, in a hurry. "Wanted yesterday", as we say in advertising. If I don't do the job, I don't get paid. If I don't get paid, there's no food on the table. My bills won't get paid. My taps will run dry. And there won't be light, when I flick a switch. Where do I go from here ? Sometimes, the will to do good, doesn't go beyond good intentions. And life goes on... |
||
| Share This: | ||
| 02-Jan-2005 | ||
| More by : Sharath Bhat | ||
| Views: 1319 Comments: 0 | ||
|
| ||
| Top | Random Thoughts | ||
|
