"As of now, what's
the status in Chennai?"
Someone would post
and
"Yeah dude! Its
still raining."
Someone would reply in a
comment.
Or
"wats happening
there? do you need volunteers?"
"Yes we need sm 15
people to go to Mudichur area. sm1 interested? We have lots f things to provide
lik rice, dresses, bedsheets"
"Yes, my friend is
there. i ll ask him to ping u n a few mnutes wit sm area guys."
The first is the
situation in Facebook groups and the second is a depiction of conversation in Whatsapp
groups and chats.
Chennai Rising- named
someone.
Its TN. Even Cuddalore
and other districts have to be considered said someone else.
The range of help
Chennai has provided to itself can never be depicted in words. The integrity
and love felt by every human soul in and around the city and how it helped other
districts in TN should have touched infinity by now. The people from Karnataka,
Kerala and other states and even from abroad, who collected funds for the
people in one way or the other and risked themselves to make sure it reached
the right people were remarkable. Many people who left Chennai during the first
stages of rain (first week of December), has expressed their guilt for not
being able to participate actively in the rescue and volunteering operations.
The problem lies here.
The fact that the help
is pouring from everywhere is true. And the fact that you might be lead down by
some false requests and your money or things might get wasted on that is also
equally true. Funding for a cause is not a bad idea at all. Actually it’s the
best thing you can do. But, to whom you are giving and how authenticated their
information are, is under question when you are at a long distance and if you
cannot verify the data provided by them, then it’s not worth spending time on.
It will not reach any people for sure.
I just want to mention
here, how I came across the real volunteers near my place.
I started a group called
Help Chennai! in Whatsapp on Dec 3. I added all my friends from schooling to
college to workplace. Those people in that group had no idea who the hell the
other one was. But still they all remained together. May messages were shared
regarding the weather, immediate need of things at various places and need for
volunteers and works of volunteers in badly affected areas. I wanted to donate
things, but had no idea how to find out the rescue camps or volunteers. That is
when my friend Aravind (College mate) came to my rescue. He referred his
friend- Santhosh, who had already collected and given relief materials through
Collector office for Kanchipuram district. Even before this I had been given
names of volunteers, but I did not go for it because I did not have any sorts
of verified or authenticated messages. Here was this boy from Kanchipuram, who
was a close friend of my good friend. So why would I not consider this? I did.
He messaged me, calling me Akka. There was this conversation about his
volunteer group’s next day visit to Chennai and then we ended it saying the
things would be collected by tomorrow.
To say frankly, I am not
a person who believes anything until it happens. So,
even after this conversation and even after I felt comfortable with this bro, I
did not prepare my bag for them to collect.
The next day morning my
friend called me to inform about the where-abouts of his friend. I thought
Santhosh would come and collect from me. Then, I had been messaged by two other
people from Santhosh's group at 9’o clock. Then there was no communication. All
the networks went dead and I thought like they would never reach me. Now I had made
my bag with some of my dresses and shawls and bags from other houses were
getting into my home to be given to the people in relief camps. I got excited
and panicked at the same time. What if these people could not turn up?
The only good thing that
was positive at that time was that I had given my address to all the volunteers
I came in touch with in Whatsapp. Then suddenly when I returned from the other
flat collecting things, I saw two of the people standing there with the bags
from my home. So finally they were there. I didn’t even have the time to learn
about their residence and all that. It was my father who told me about where
they were from. I could get their name. That is all I could get. Later learnt
they were from the next street. I was informed about where the materials would
be delivered and to whom. After which another friend of mine-Roshan, who lives
near my place came to deliver things like cups, tracks for men and the same
above mentioned things happened again the next day. These volunteer boys made a
point that they worked in shifts. I was astonished by their commitment and organisation even in the heavy rain.
I have to thank Aravind,
Santhosh from Kanchipuram, Mary and Shaym and their friends from Adambakkam and
to people in their group and my group who listened and did whatever they could. T hanks to my neighbors, who donated even their new dresses and blankets and beds.
I am proud I have been a
part of it. I will be a part of it in the future too, for this doesn't mark the
end. We are just a dust. The
rest, Chennai knows, sorry Tamil Nadu knows.
If you want to
contribute make sure it's a trusted end and it reaches the right people.
Fund for a cause.
But, make sure you go
with/to the right set of people.
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