March 2005

Mala: March 2005

We revisit Mala and her relatives as they are coping with a new emergency: her father Manikkam, who was injured and almost drowned during the tsunami, is bedridden and fighting for his life.

Mala’s family was very poor even before the tsunami. Her father was a fisherman who brought in his catch from the backwaters and mouth of Buckingham canal. With his catamaran and nets now washed away, Manikkam cannot support his family. His wife, Devi, who sells fish and clams, finds it hard to manage without his income.

"After paying off interest for loans, we had just enough to eat every day. We also managed to buy clothes and other essentials things for our children," says Devi. "Since the tsunami, life is very difficult. Because of my husband’s illness, I can’t do any work other than looking after him."

Mala says: "Since my father became bed-ridden, we have not tasted even a single fish."

To make their problems worse, Manikkam has taken to heavy drinking.

"If my father agrees, in a few months, we will somehow stop his drinking habit," says Mala. "I want to go to Church so that my father’s health improves and my family’s troubles go away."

Her family wasn’t the only one to suffer because of the tsunami. The villagers of Kottaikkadu lost 600 kilograms of nets and around 50 catamarans. But they have not received any relief assistance even until late March – a full three months after the disaster.

This is probably due to the narrow definition of damage adopted by the bureaucracy. "We informed the district officials. They asked us how many people died (in our village) compared to other tsunami-hit villages," explains Dhanavel, the village leader. "We told them that though no one died, we lost our nets. Till now, no official has come to see us,"

Despite all economic woes, Mala’s first concern is the well-being of her father.

"Please get my father some medical help. If his health improves, I will be very happy," she says earnestly.