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The Story of Prbhakaran
From Tsunami in
Asia | Secondary school
assembly ideas
You will need
> Photo of Prbhakaran
and Ramu
> Photos of destruction
caused by the tsunami
What to do
- Through questioning, establish what pupils know
about the Indian Ocean tsunami.
- As a lead-in, acknowledge the sheer scale of the
disaster caused by the tsunami, and how we can really begin to
understand its devastating impact through the personal stories
of survivors.
- Explain that the story you are going to read was
written by Dr Aruna Uprety, a relief worker who visited some of
worst affected areas in India.
- Show the picture of Prbhakaran and Ramu explaining
who they are and then share the story below.
- Once you have shared the story, look at the other
two photographs of devastation in the area. Explain that this
kind of damage has happened over huge areas of lots of countries,
affecting millions of people. You could then lead into What
are the immediate needs?
Prbhakaran, Kutti and Ramu the dog
| Prbhakaran lives in the village
of Tarang Badi, in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. The village
was almost completely destroyed by the Tsunami wave. The few
survivors of the village have moved to camps inland and they
all have tales of horror and miracles.
Prbhakaran was hit by the wave when he was out
in the sea. He saw his 10 year-old daughter, Kutti, on the
shore and tried to get to her but the water got to him first,
sweeping him his off his feet and knocking him unconscious. |
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Prbhakaran
with the dog that saved his 10-year-old daughter, Kutti.
Tamil Nadu, India.
Credit: Aruna Uprety / Oxfam
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Some villagers saved Prbhakaran,
but Kutti had an even more incredible escape. Prbhakaran’s
dog, Ramu, had waded out into the sea to drag the floating
Kutti by the hair and out of the water. Kutti is now safely
in a camp, with only a nose injury. Ramu the dog is something
of a family hero! |
However, the survivors like Prbhakaran and Kutti have
an extremely difficult and painful time ahead of them. The water
is unclean, which may make survivors ill. Hundreds of thousands
of people have lost family and friends, and had their houses and
possessions swept away. No clothes, no beds, no utensils, no food,
no livestock, no nets, no boats. Many people are wounded, but not
just physically. Many are too upset even to pray. In just a few
minutes, the lives of these people were turned upside down.
But there are rays of hope, with many scenes of generosity
and people trying to rebuild their lives. Many volunteers from other
parts of India have come to give out food and clothes, and doctors
are running clinics in camps and remaining villages. Along the beaches,
some fishermen are already trying to rebuild their houses and trying
to buy new boats to continue their work at sea. One villager said
with a weak smile: ‘What else can we do? The sea brought death
but it is also our life.’
Even after a disaster like this, life goes on.
> Read
the other materials from this section.
From Tsunami in
Asia | Secondary school
assembly ideas
|
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