They say time heals everything and everyone. I do believe that. But when I visit the villages that were affected by cyclone Titli in Odisha, talk to the people from there, I wonder, ‘How much time?’
It has been 4 months since Titli showed the true power of mother nature.
In villages in the Gajapati district of Odisha, time and recovery are both moving slowly.
The trees are still bent, houses still broken or without roofs, the crop for this year destroyed, and there is a continued feeling of powerlessness amongst the people.
I have been documenting the lives here post the cyclone and I have collected a lot of photographs. Now, looking back at them, I do not see many changes.
The state government has compensated those who were affected by the cyclone. Yet, houses continue to bear the wounds that Titli left them with. I asked the villagers why they haven’t started building their houses. “We’re afraid.”
They are scared of another Titli. They don’t know when the next cyclone will come and wash away their newly built homes. It could be tomorrow, day after or maybe after years – but it will take away their homes.
And so, the people carry on with their lives as best as they can – this time with no shops or crops to go back to. Many have taken up MNREGS jobs to make ends meet. However, not all is lost. There are some positives if we compare it with life 3 months ago.
Non-governmental organisations and government agencies flooded the cyclone-affected areas post Titli. The motive was to provide relief. Their approaches, however, were different. Some provided food, some clothes and some a source income generation.
The lack of employment has led to local job creation. In a lot of villages, micro-brick factories are up and running. Schools have reopened and shops are running. As some families gear up to re-build their homes (with bricks this time and not mud), they are determined to make it strong enough to withstand a cyclone.
Entire villages have come together to produce bricks. Each household supporting one another. These bricks will bring them income and offer stability to their new houses. So that when the next Titli comes, the houses are strong and they won’t have to run to somebody else’s home.
All the stories of despair and hope, and bent trees and missing roofs makes you wonder – what would have life been like four months ago?
(Parij is a freelance storyteller. A social worker by profession, he aspires to tell stories that need to be told but remain unheard. He has also co-founded ‘Folk Films’.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)