Special experiences from Chennai-area second-phase relief-efforts:

December 3, 2015. To start with, we were to set up a base for Vedics Foundation in Tambaram area to cover Mudichur and other affected areas in the vicinity. We tried all possibilities right from Railway Samudhaya Koodam to a place in CSI Church. We were welcome in CSI Church to place our camp but due to logistics issues, it did not work. Then we approached Sri Rama Anchaneyar Temple trust to provide us a space for our relief work camp. They invited us with open hearts and gave us the Vahana Mandapam all cleaned up and ready to be used. We then made arrangements for the utensils for cooking and distribution. The temple gave us the required gas and stove for cooking.

Day 1: On 4^th December, we got our first supplies from Vedics Foundation (groceries through Shri. Thirukkottiyur Madhavan Swami) in the afternoon. Later, along with Swami, we went and gave dresses to people who were stationed in a Church in Mudichur. We then went to a slum in Mudichur and supplied food for approximately 150 people at their doorsteps. Swami himself walked in the streets and distributed food packets to all the people along with his team from Triplicane. Meanwhile, we organized a cook from Nanganallur for the next day in order to cook food at Rama Anchaneya Temple since we were not able to source any cook from Sri Rangam.

Day 2: 5^th December brought us a big surprise and put a big challenge in front of us. In the morning, when the vehicle with Chappathis and provisions arrived, we had only 2 volunteers in the temple. We somehow managed to unload the vehicle with the help of temple employees. At that point of time, we were chocked thinking had we accepted something more than our capacity. We had only one thing in our mind – whatever happens, there will be people with good hearts to help when we start. We left it to Lord Rama to decide how to make that happen.

Then came an even bigger challenge – the cook who was supposed to arrive was stuck in heavy rains. Rama was testing us indeed. By this time, the first set of volunteers who were going to deliver food packets to Pallikaranai/Medavakkam area came and collected the 2000 chappathis for approximately 500 people and went for delivery.

 Then came the biggest surprise of all – this time it was a pleasant one. The temple cook offered help at the start and told us whenever he is free, he will help out. This gave us immense amount of confidence. Further, the temple trustee’s elder brother came forward to help and engaged in full time cooking without our request. This further added to our confidence level and made us believe that we were on the right path indeed. When our motive is genuine the Rama Himself takes us further. We were getting support from the temple officials’ family members as well. All the ladies from the trustee’s home to the Manager’s home and their friends and families came forward to help us in our mission. We started with just 3-4 members and were about 40-50 membered team by noon (including the delivery team). We prepared 500 food packets of Sambar Rice for supplies. There were demands for milk from various areas as well. Instead of giving it as raw milk, we boiled the milk and packed in small packets and sent for delivery.

During our preparation local volunteers came and helped us with TATA Ace vehicles and told us that they will supply food with their own vehicles free of cost. We were overwhelmed by the support we were receiving. They went ahead and delivered the 500 food packets to Thirumudivakkam, Anakaputhur and Pozhichanur areas with 2 vehicles. These were the areas where the people didn’t receive food packets till that point of time.

Then came a team from Nungambakkam who were coordinating with us for supply for food to North Chennai affected areas. They all belong to Crescent college founder’s family, all of Muslim religious beliefs. There was a lady in the team whom we got in touch through a mutual friend. She is settled in Singapore and came to Chennai for vacation just a month back before the floods.

They all came to the temple to collect relief material i.e., food, medicines, milk and some clothes as well. At first, the lady was very hesitant to enter the temple thinking that someone would oppose her entry as she was wearing a Burka. We made it clear that we are working on a humanitarian basis and there is no need to worry about anything and made her enter the temple. She came inside and became very emotional and started to shed tears saying that when she landed in India this time, she was worried about what will happen to her if she wears a burka and roam around. She was deeply concerned about the intolerance issue which was focused on highly by the media, and had decided that this was her last trip to India in her lifetime. She changed her mind on seeing our reception and told that she will definitely settle back in India after some years and postponed her return for at least 2 months.

This was really an achievement for us as this was what we intended to do without any publicity. This incident touched all our hearts and made us re-think how our life has been changed because of the floods. There was no Hindu, no Muslim, no Christian – no religion whatsoever. Just humans. This incident was a great advertisement for what India is all about – made of people and not religions.