Aviral Mishra, OP
BHUBANESWAR: Every cloud has a silver lining. However, the silver lining was almost elusive amidst the destruction and mayhem in the aftermath of Fani. Nevertheless, it taught an invaluable lesson to the denizens of the capital city.
As the cyclonic storm Fani hit the smart city May 03, life was thrown out of gear as citizens suffered due to a week of no electricity, water and severe heat wave. But according to some, the adversity brought them ‘closer to nature.’
“Yes, it was a hard time but my family and I learnt a lot from it,” says Smitha Das, a resident at Nayapalli. “For example, both my kids were obsessed with mobile games. However, they played a lot of indoor games due to the power outage. They also mingled with other kids in the block,” Smitha explains.
While most of the children were seen playing cricket, others opted cycling and hopscotch. In the tech-savvy world where technology has cut off our bond with the nature, it was a ‘rejuvenating’ sight for parents like Smitha.
Memories revisited
At 67 years of age, no games fascinate Praful Panda, a senior citizen here at Bomikhal. The power outage brought him memories of the past. Panda said, “This is the second cyclone of such magnitude that I’ve seen. Things have changed since then.”
“I saw such devastation in the city back in 1999. Back in those days, we didn’t rely on internet or mobile signals and things were much simpler. However, I too was hooked in gadgets due to rapid technological innovations. Hence, I was dazed for a few days as I was deprived of essential necessities,” Panda said.
Winds of change
While many left the cities in order to escape the hardships, others faced unprecedented challenges. With restaurants and hotels shut, youngsters of the city braved a harrowing time.
Sharing his part of the tale, Gautam Panigrahi, a banker, said, “Fani taught him ingenuity self dependence. With no electricity, I had to wash my own clothes and even took a bath in Daya River.”
A week-long power outage meant failure of almost all appliances which meant no soft drinks for a 10-year old Ananya Parija. Her father had no option but to find an alternative.
“I could find nothing better than the ubiquitous coconut drink. My daughter didn’t like it initially but has grown quiet fond of it in the past few days. Although things have got back to normal, he still asks for coconut water,” he said.
Helping hands
As the city is coming back on its feet, the city folks have come closer during the tougher times. While unsung heroes worked tirelessly to ensure normalcy, various sections of the society came together to brave the calamity. Forgetting their own miseries, slum dwellers lend a helping hand to aid restoration of city’s amenities.