My heart cries out for the Japanese
I remember when Tsunami hit India I was in Goa
I can never forget how much I thanked destiny
That I could live to see today
And now that a stronger one hit Japan…
It was the only thing on news that Friday
8.9, gosh, it was scary
And the helicopter shots looked so lethal
As if I was watching a video game
Lame, but the speed of water and the heat of fire
Had the same air of unreality to them
The ships, planes and cars photographed from above
I swear looked like a floor littered with a careless child’s toys
I don’t want to believe it was anything but that
Developed over the years and shattered in a 2 minute disaster
I don’t know why im getting all patriotic about a country that’s not my own
Maybe coz I understand the suffering as I nearly avoided?
Still something surprises me, more than anything else
The people were prepared
The government action was instantaneous
Evacuation successful, well as successful as you could hope for
This didn’t happen in India
Mitigation was only dealing with the aftermath
Very little, what was left
Warnings, none
Even in the harsh time, I plead the Indians to learn from our fellow Asians
We here think regular drills are a joke
Are we so naïve as not to understand their importance until disaster strikes?
Why bother when everything’s alright?
Jab hoga tab dekha jayega attitude
Jab hoga tab dekhne ke liye zinda bachoge?
They just don’t realize
Learn from the Japanese, my fellow Indians
I sincerely hope for the best for the victims and revival of Tokyo and all other places hit by the aftershocks.
Ameen
