odds 'n' ends

new updates on tsunami relief, south india: coastal kerala

There are new updates here on tsunami relief efforts.  There is also a new link to the tsunami slide-show photos, and new footage, but the link is not fully operable yet.  I will post, when it is.

For a really comprehensive page with lots of links re: tsunami info and updates in the Kerala, south India area, link here.

tsunami recovery, with photos

This just in from our contact in south india:

After the Tsunami: If not Fishing.... What?

March 26, 2005

Imagine thousands of dollars worth of construction materials left out in the open, easily accessible to very poor people, people who have lost everything, and who don't even have homes.

"Won't the people steal the bricks?" the reporter asked Syam, one of the local people whose family now lives in a temporary thatch hut provided by Sahaya, an NGO. They are waiting for the home the M. A. Math will build for them as soon as government sanction is received.

"No, there is no risk of that. They know these are from Amma; they know she wants to make houses for them. They won't steal from the Math."

Syam, now 26 years old, grew up in a fishing family, but--extremely rare in this community--he managed to leave the island, continue his education, and take up a different life: he is a corporal in the Indian Air Force. Now he is home on compassionate leave.

Syam wasn't here for the tsunami, but his elderly parents were. Although his father, (Sashi, 55) is handicapped (his leg was damaged in a fishing accident), he was able to help several people escape the flood. He and Syam's mother (Thankamani, 50) survived by holding fast to a coconut tree--a tree now in the "front yard" of their hut, a daily reminder of their narrow escape.

Syam's parents showing how they were clinging to the tree.

Now Syam is helping not only his parents, but the entire community. As a fluent speaker of English, he is able to provide a bridge for foreign journalists. Not only does give his own answers to their questions, but he translates for his neighbours. He suggests people who might be interviewed, and sets up the contacts.

Living now in the outside world, and having grown up in the fishing culture, Syam is uniquely qualified to assess the strengths and the needs of his childhood world. Yes, he agrees with the reporter, there is something idyllic about the simple life of a fisherman and his family on the charming shores of the Arabian Sea, children playing in the sand, the father quietly mending nets, the mother washing the family's dishes and leaving them to dry in the sun, all perhaps relaxing under the palms as the cooling evening breeze comes in from the ocean.

But that is only one side of a fishing family's life.

Mostly, the life is characterized by struggle: the husband will spend hours out on the sea, hunting schools of fish, hauling heavy nets, dragging the boat onto the shore, unloading the catch--only, too often, to find that it is inadequate. Shared among the owner of the boat and the five or six men working the boat, the income is generally not enough. The wife will try to feed the husband and children on too little; she will carry water from the village pump; she will clean the house and yard, wash the clothes, take care of the children.

Both will wonder how they can ever provide a better life for their children. A more secure life, a life with "enough".

Syam's opinion, shared, he says and this reporter's queries support, by the majority of the fisherfolk, is that if the sons grow up to do what their fathers do and the daughters grow up to do what their mothers do, the cycle of poverty will continue. They will be trapped.

So Syam again and again emphasizes the need for new options--opportunities off the island and outside the familiar sphere of the fishing culture. For these new opportunities, more education and training are necessary, and connections with those who can offer employment.

When the M. A. Math announced, shortly after the tsunami, that training, education, and job opportunities were among the relief being offered by the organization, it was like a dream come true.

Young people flocked to the ashram to register for paramedical training at AIMS, the Math's state-of-the-art hospital three hours north on the mainland. People who already had training but no jobs as electricians, X-ray technicians, data entry personnel, and licensed drivers rushed forward to apply for jobs the Math opened up specifically for them. Hoping for a job as driver, young men who didn't know how to drive enrolled in the Math-sponsored program to earn their licenses. Women who needed to stay near home welcomed the tailoring class set up at the temporary shelter. Learning on donated sewing machines, they could become skilled tailors, and earn a significant income by working on guaranteed jobs such as stitching all the uniforms for the many Amrita institutions throughout India, or by taking in private work.

Many survivors are being trained and given jobs such as for data entry position (shown above) and tailoring (shown left) - all these people have been sponsored in these programs by the Math

The tsunami marked the end of many houses, many boats, many lives. It was undeniably a terrible event. But the disaster seems to have given birth, also: to not only new houses, and new boats, but also very new and different lives. New hope.

- Janani
Correspondent from M. A. Math

for more information: www.amma.org

SUNSHINE, SAD & VITAMIN D

My recent post on Solar Breathing and SAD actually received some hits, so I'm inspired to write more about things I've found that have helped me 'get the victory' over this disorder. 

VITAMIN D - 'tablet sunshine' brings in that extra sunshine, and is also necessary to protect our aging bones from osteoporosis.  Vitamin D3 from cholacalciferol is the variety needed by post-menospausal women.  Dr. Donald Yance cautions us to take Vitamin D only during winter months.  I've found that 400 IU daily is quite enough, when taken along with fish oils and calcium - my personal recipe for post-menopausal verve.

Here is more from Donald Yance, an alternative health care cancer specialist, on the perks of Vitamin D:

"Vitamin D helps to prevent colon and breast cancers.  It is theorized that vitamin D binds iwth calcium and reduces the turnover rate of the cells that line the colon.  Cells that don't turn over are very resistant to carcinogens. 

"Vitamin D has an inhibitory effect of episomes, submicroscopic circular DNA molecules that carry amplified oncogenes as well as amplified drug-resistant genes.  Vitamin D3 is reported to inhibit the incorporation of of messages at chromosomal sites, thereby providing a strategy that might make some episomes more susceptible to elimination.

"Vitamin D may have the ability to inhibit the proliferative activity of hormones, such as estrogen in breast cancer, and has been shown to suppress breast and prostate cancer growth.  Sunlight exposure, which leads to an increased level of vitamin D, correlates with a a reduced   risk of breast cancer.  I usually recommend small amounts of vitamin D (400 to 1000 IU) for those people without sunlight exposure, especially during the winter.  I also occasionally recommend cod liver oil during winter months as a source of Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids.  Vitamin D deficiency is very common in the elderly and in people who live in parts of the world with little sunlight; it is also one of the major contributing factors to osteoporosis."  He also recommends it for prostate cancer.

Yance's book, 'Herbal Medicine Healing and Cancer' can be purchased here.

social security rant

This is my own personal social security quiz:

1) Did you your parents pay your way through college?

2) Have your parents ever bought you a new car?

3) Do your relatives give you stocks for your birthday, Christmas or Chanukkah?

If you answered 'no' to any of these questions, then the proposed social security reform is not going to benefit you.  You are going to give up money you could have relied on in your old age, to line the pockets of others who already have more than you do. 

Don't let them take your old age social security away from you. 
I recall a story my father told about his early days in this country, back around 1920, when he was 21 years old.  We no longer remember how it was when the elderly poor lived this way in our country.  He was new to the US, and amazed to find two elderly ladies, widows, a mother (age: 80's) and daughter (age: 60's) who were freezing to death in a shed.  He gave them some money, and brought them some firewood, and then he shipped out.  It bothered him his whole life that two old women could be left to freeze to death like that.

Social security is the government's pledge that this isn't going to happen.  Those who will be easily ripped off, or unable to invest wisely, or who have nothing to fall back on if 'fail-safe' investments in fact fail (think Enron), are best protected by the government. 

Letting the government take the full responsibility for social security is known to have worked; let's not change that part of it.  Those who know what they're doing with investments probably would make out slightly better if they can take their 'social security' and invest it, but what about the rest?  Social security isn't for the rich, or for those who already 'have.'  It's for the people who don't. 

Do we really want what we're creating at present?  A society of the very rich and the very poor?  I don't think we really do, but we don't seem to understand how we are, in fact, creating just that. This proposed social security reform is, in my opinion, another nail in the coffin of the American way of life, and to democracy.  What's the use to bringing democracy to Iraq, if we aren't protecting it here?

Rant over, for now.

solar breathing (antidote to SAD)

I used to suffer from SAD, seasonal affective disorder.  And then I started thinking about ways to bring more sunlight into my life.  I went for more walks.  I changed all the bulbs in the house to full-spectrum lighting.  That had an immediate, if subtle effect.  Then I started waking up to a high-intensity full-specturm light (the cheap kind), exposing just my hands and face to the glow, and that made a huge difference.  Right around that time, a friend read of a study done in Japan that showed exposure of the face was the most important thing, so I guess my lazy self was onto something! Anyway, it worked for me, made a substantial change in how I felt, how much weight I gained, etcetera, over the winter.

I no longer use the high intensity light.  I’ve made some dietary changes and also have begun doing something called ‘solar breathing.’  It’s an Ayurvedic technique, and that alone has made the most significant difference. If I were to single out one factor, solar breathing would be it.  I don’t want to give the directions here on the web, because it should really only be used by people who have a similar condition to mine.

Really, I just wanted to say what a pleasure this technique is to do.  It takes less than ten minutes, and I do it everyday sometime between the hours of eleven in the morning and three in the afternoon.  I go outside, and stand somewhere off the beaten path, but where I can see the sun, or pinpoint it, if it’s a cloudy day.  Then I sing a little chant to the sun, do the solar breathing, and I also add ‘cupping’ which is another ayurvedic eye treatment.  As I said, the whole thing takes only ten minutes, and it is like going on a retreat in the middle of the day! 

The most delightful smells from little green plants, and occasionally the sweet fragrances of flowers greet me, along with the earthier smell of mud in the background.  The feel of the air is like a divine blessing on my face.  And it’s different everyday.  It’s like taking a coffee-break with nature (or with God), and checking in on a daily basis.

The idea is not just the breathing technique alone, but that you are ‘interacting’ with the sun.  I choose to sing a traditional chant to the sun, but of course every person does their own thing.  If I didn’t have this particular chant, I would probably pray to the sun, or just talk to it.

Speaking of praying to the sun, as a Christian, I was brought up to think this was humorous.  But I find, from actually doing it, that it makes perfect sense for people to worship the sun.  It’s the source of all life on Earth.  Or if you want to get theological about it, it’s the occasion or ‘instrument’ of God’s grace to bring life to the earth (along with rain).  It gives a sense of pleasure and well-being to everything that lives.  We all certainly know this is true round about this time of year.  It’s an incredible potency in our everyday lives, and surely God made it to be so. At any rate, I don't find any conflict in honoring the sun in this way.  I am only finding a benefit.

mass cremation in kerala

Mass Cremation in Azhikkal

On the 28th of December, two days after the tsunami, a mass cremation was held in the

village

of

Azhikkal

, only two kilometres north of the Ashram. The ashramites helped with everything from the building of the funeral pyres, to bringing food and water for the families, to transporting the families to and from the cremation site, to consoling those who had lost their near and dear ones, to assisting them in performing the last rites.

The government arranged for the firewood and the plantain trees for the ritual. All this was done by the collector. We used four of our ambulances to transport the dead bodies from the mortuary to the cremation ground.

Government buses and vehicles from other service organization were also there. The cremation process went off smoothly. Ashram brahmacharis and brahmacharinis chanted the eighth chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita. It was such a solemn affair. People were full of pain and shock. It was a rare and sorrowful sight to see 40 bodies being cremated at the same time. But nothing could compare with the sight of five mothers rushing forward to claim the body of a small child—each one thinking him to be their own.

When the pyres were lit, Amma was holding a prayer back at the university campus, with all Her children sitting around Her. She asked everyone to pray for peace—both for the dead and for the living. For more then 15 minutes She sang a version of the peace mantra: lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu... This is the same song Amma had song twice the week before the disaster, each time ending in tears.

When the song was over, Amma got up and returned to the Ashram.

amma's tsunami relief efforts, first hand report

I received this report in an email from a friend staying at Amma's ashram on the Kerala coast, south India:

"Yes (I'm) back in the flat.  Mainly its too hot here.  Back at Varkala for (my treatments).  She saw right away that there was a shock to (my) system and is only giving 1 treatment
a day and not the usual two.  Said my body couldn't
handle more now.  I did very well with her diet and no
sugar, tea, etc, and then the wave swept it all away.
Now I am here getting back on track.  I think I
stuffed a lot down until today's treatment after which I
felt like weeping. 

"Amma has been amazing.  All of us and the village immediately housed and fed and they, clothed.  Yesterday many in the village returned. Amma is sending busloads up to view the devastation,probably for fundraising.  She has promised so much. It is a miracle it happened where she has so many
schools to house everyone and the means financial to
help.  Ashram getting back to normal.  All of  us
getting in there for the huge cleanup.  What I don't get is why India and Thailand weren't alerted one way or another about the almost certain wall of water coming.  Destiny I guess.  All kind of stories about Amma performing miracles etc but to me
the rescue effort is miracle enough w/o all the hype.
M and S both well and leaving sometime fairly soon.
Love."

for more information on medical assistance being offered: http://www.amma.org/

tsunami relief: how you can help

I mentioned in an earlier post that I have spent a lot of time, many months spread over a five year period, in this district in south India, on the coast of Kerala state.  I've also visited the Tamil Nadu coast, Mahabalipuram and Madras, where MA Math has already been providing aid to victims of the tsunami.  This is an organization already in situ and already active in relief efforts.  You can send a donation to this site.  Here is the latest update from Swami Dayamrita at MA Center.

Amma Dedicates 1 Billion Rupees Towards Reconstructing Homes Destroyed By Tsunami

Her Holiness Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma), who is known throughout the world for her humanitarian work, has today announced that her ashram will dedicate one billion rupees [$23,364,486 U.S.D.] to reconstruct homes in Southern India that were completely destroyed by the tsunami on 26th December.

The houses will be built according to the specifications of the state governments. The Math has proposed to build houses consisting of two rooms, a kitchen, a small veranda and a toilet.

Amma's ashram is located in Alappad Village, the worst-hit area in Kerala. More than 140 people were killed in the tiny village. The ashram was also flooded, but none of the 13,000 people visiting at the time were injured, including 1,000 people from the West.

As thousands in the area are currently homeless, the ashram has already started constructing temporary shelters to house them until the new homes are completed. This is being done on a 10-acre property owned by the ashram about 1 kilometer away.

Amma's ashram is also allocating 1,000 rupees to each family for purchasing household items. A total of 15 million rupees [$350,467 U.S.D.] have been allocated for this purpose. The ashram will also provide free education and counseling to those children who have lost both parents in the tragedy.

Besides the rehabilitation and reconstruction of houses in Kerala, the ashram is also helping tsunami victims in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Under the direction of Amma, the ashram has been providing food, shelter, clothing, medical assistance and emotional support for the affected since the moment the tsunami hit the Indian Coast.
Since 1998, the Ashram has built and given away more than 30,000 houses for the destitute homeless throughout India as part of its Amrita Kuteeram Free Housing Project.

Namah Sivaya, Dayamrita

more news from south india: tsunami aftermath cleanup

                        Aum Amriteswaryai Namah

The cleaning inside the ashram is at full swing. Even computer mother boards had to be taken out and washed with water, for sand was deposited on these. There are 1000 villagers still staying at the Engineering college. More than 15, 000 people are still fed every day with hot food. We are also supplying food to 9 other camps.

Food, essentials and medical aid continues to be provided to evacuees at the camps as usual.

2. Psychiatrists from AIMS have also come to help the medical team as there are many cases of trauma and depression.

3. Ashram cleaning teams make regular rounds of campsites.

4. AYUDH, the Math's youth wing, is actively participating in the cleaning.

5. A meeting of Amma with the local village councils from the coastal belt has been conducted to discuss future steps for rehabilitation

Amma is planning to build temporary tents for the villagers who have lost their homes.(Most of the villagers have indeed lost their homes) 1000 Rs (around 25$) will be given to each person to buy essential items to support their present living. The budget is estimated around 50 Crores INR.(12 million USD) The major cost will be to build houses and other facilities. As earthquakes have become a common phenomenon in Kerala and other parts of India, the cost of building houses has gone up dramatically. Earlier there was no need for earthquake proofing and now the extra costs is for a foundation that can absorb these shocks.

Relief work is also in full swing in the other parts of the country.

Immediately after the tsunami struck on the fateful Sunday, 26th December 2004 till date the Chennai ashram has fed more than

50,000 displaced people, distributed clothes, biscuits, water packets, bath soaps, detergent soaps, toothpastes, toothbrushes, water pots & mugs.

A Tsunami Disaster Relief Cell was opened at Tiruvanmiyur to co-ordinate the relief operations. Devotees of Amma contributed with an open hand and heart.

In Kovalam, Pudhu Nemeli & Mahabalipuram Kuppam the relief work is going on a war footing. All the huts, fishing nets, catamarans, boats were destroyed and the losses suffered in these 3 villages runs into crores. Doctors from Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences along with an ambulance stocked with medicines treated the injured and sick at every village along the East Coast Road. Doctors are also working round the clock in Chennai, Kanyakumari and Nagapattanam.

new year's message from tsunami zone

I went out to our ashram tonight for the New Year's Day program, and this was printed in our newsletter.  It was taken from our website from Amritapuri in Kollam District, Kerala, south India.  The death count from the neighboring fishing villages is now up to 200, and there have been mass cremations 2 kilometers north of the ashram in recent days.  Here is the report:

"For the first time in five days, the temple bell rang three times—announcing to all the ashramites that Amma was coming to the bhajan hall. It seemed to many that the bell was announcing the rain, as it came exactly as the bell was sounded. Everyone—the ashramites and the visiting devotees—ran to sit near Amma's peetham. "When Amma arrived at 11:15, Her mood was a little distant. She was not crying, but if you looked closely you could see Her eyes were wet. The grief of the past five days weighed heavy in the air.

"Amma started with two bhajans in Hindi, one to Sri Ganesh, "Kripa Ho Teri Vigna Vinashaka," and one to Sri Krishna, "Arati Kunja Vihari." The Ashram sound system had been damaged in the flood, so only a minimal setup was used. At times, it was difficult to hear Amma over the sound of the rain hitting against the roof of the bhajan hall.

"Then Amma sang "Kodanukoti," a very old Malayalam bhajan in the raga charukeshi [mood of sorrow]. The song is about how distant God seems to remain no matter how intense one's austerities. O Eternal Truth, mankind has been searching for you for millions and millions of years… When Amma sung such lines, Her voice become one with the raga, causing many of the ashramites and devotees to shed tears.

"The song finished at 11:55 and Amma asked everyone to close their eyes and start chanting the peace mantra lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu. With the events of the past week fresh in everyone's mind, it was clear the prayer was coming from the bottom of everyone's heart. As Amma chanted, Her body slowly rocked back and forth in Her chair.

"When the chant ended 10 minutes later, Amma began to speak. "With very heavy hearts, we are welcoming the New Year," Amma said. "We cannot rejoice at this moment, and this is not a time to rejoice. This is a time to invoke love and compassion in our hearts. The dead are not going to come back, but we can give love and consolation to those who are living.

"In this New Year, which is shrouded in the darkness of sorrow, we should light the lamp of love, service and compassion, and with faith move forward.

"Man can achieve anything; he can even become God, but one second is enough to lose everything."

Amma went on to say that human effort has its limitations, and that God's grace is more important. "Children, understand the goal of life and proceed."

At one point Amma confessed that She didn't know what to say—"My heart is empty."

Amma then led everyone in a short meditation. When it was over, Amma's mood seemed lighter somehow, and She sang "Ananda Janani," a celebration of the glory of the Divine Mother. Towards the end of the song, Amma raised Her hands over Her head and started clapping. Everyone in the hall did the same. How quickly the mood had gone from darkness to light.

Amma then stood up and called everyone to come and get prasad. For many visiting the Ashram during their Christmas vacation, it was the first time they had received Amma's darshan.

—Kannadi

For a complete account of the aftermath of the tsunami, including an account of the mass cremation, go to the following link.