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CHENNAI, INDIA, December 31, 2004: As the first chilling images of the death and devastation caused by the tsunami flashed on Indian television Sunday, Tara Kaushal, 21, a freelance writer and accessories designer, started receiving text messages from friends on her cell phone. She in turn messaged others about the disaster, expressing a need “to get together and do something.” “We all felt helpless watching the terrible tragedy. We had to do something. We couldn’t just wait for the slow government machinery to give relief,” Kaushal said. “There were so many people who had lost their lives and homes, and I felt horrible that all I could think of was where to party next.” The next morning, Kaushal’s extended group of friends circulated e-mail asking for contributions to an effort to buy relief supplies. Money poured in — from young fashion designers, teenage students, lawyers, corporate executives, software professionals, aerobics and yoga instructors, cooks and car drivers.



Survivors in the southern state of Tamil Nadu said the relief efforts organized by wealthier, urban do-gooders such as Kaushal’s friends arrived more quickly and had been much more visible than government assistance. As soon as news streamed out about the disaster, which killed more than 6,000 people in the state and displaced hundreds of thousands, concerned citizens and charities began sending truckloads of cooked food and water to scores of suffering villagers. “We did not want to keep sending rice and vegetables all the time,” said Shivranjan Sahgal, 32, a Madras-based senior executive for the Sara Lee Corp. who helped send e-mail pleas. “So we began by sending them soaps, towels, blankets, buckets, floor mats, cooking oil, grains and vessels. This will help them rebuild their lives. They can’t keep queuing up for food forever. They are not beggars.”



An article Friday in a local newspaper, headlined “Hand over relief materials to municipal corporation,” reported that the Chennai police chief had “warned nongovernmental organizations and volunteers against directly distributing relief material to tsunami victims.” The article said that direct distribution created law-and-order problems and that supplies should be handed over to the nearest municipal office. It ended on an ominous note: “Serious action would be initiated against violators.” The new rule caused a stir among the volunteers. “We will just go ahead with our plans. If we leave it to the city government, the relief would not even reach halfway,” said Richa Goenka, a fashion designer. “Unless you do it yourself, you can never be sure that it has reached those in need.”

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