Summary

The first chapter gives us a glimpse of the immediate aftereffects of the earthquake in Bhuj.

We are first introduced to short stories about three people and how they were affected on

the morning of the earthquake. Each has a different story, but the pain that connects them is

the same. It is aptly reflected in the writings. The author then proceeds to inform us about

the various headlines printed by the local newspapers and how they affected the morale of

the people. It felt as if that God was punishing the people of Kutch for some past deeds. The

religious aspect of the aftermath is also shown by referencing the 1993 Latur earthquake.

The efforts of the organisations like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) are mentioned, and how they provided people with help and

relief aid. Some politicians' remarks are also mentioned that compared the earthquake to a

mother’s cradle. The author further tells us how the daily news reports contained information

about the dead at length. There was destruction all around, and the army had to intervene to

stop the chaos and looting. The people's daily lives were hampered, but slowly people were

attempting to stand their ground and resist it. Many international bodies came forward to

help people - even our neighbour, Pakistan. There were a lot of superstitious beliefs going

around saying that the mythical river Saraswati had emerged to answer the cries of the

people of Kutch. Some people even started believing that this was predicted earlier by some

astrologer, and many followed suit by predicting further disaster and calamity in the coming

days. The religious side of the people was also shown as they rejected the aid by Christian

organisations but upheld RSS in great esteem majorly because it facilitated the cremation

process of the Hindus, which was very dear to the people.

In the second chapter, the author focuses more on the economic and social rehabilitation of

the people of Bhuj; how the regrowth process was facilitated to bring the people's lives back

to normal. Various global organisations estimated the losses and the body count and came

forward to help the affected people. The World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and

many other bilateral donors came to help. The process of reconstruction was underway,

though not only in a physical sense. The new houses built were provided with proper
facilities and were jointly registered in the names of both husband and wife. This was done

to ensure gender equality. The insurance of houses was made mandatory to protect against

future disasters. Many community participation programs were conducted to make sure that

there is upliftment and education in society. The government introduced many policies to

safeguard the people's economic stability and make them independent. The financial impact

of the earthquake and the existing fiscal imbalances forced it difficult for the government to

continue the financial support; hence it turned to the World Bank for assistance. In this way,

the earthquake sort of helped the people get economic reforms and support. Many policies

were devised to help people cope with the aftermath and to make them well prepared for the

future. Volunteer groups and activities became common to help people with the reshaping of

this small part of Gujarat, which came under the grasp of a devastating earthquake. The

support groups played an important role, and the author claims to be a part of its work and

conduct. The author says that many such ‘groups’ had existed in Gujarat even before the

earthquake, they only came to prominence after the calamity, and hence this imposition met

with a mixed review. In the author's words, the post-earthquake cash rendered the group-

forming syndrome endemic. On a large scale, this reconstruction process helped the people

of Gujarat overcome the disaster. There was an overall shift in the risk management sector

and people became more aware and familiar with it. This chapter showed the relation

between the state and the people and how each faction reacts to the disaster and its

aftereffects.

Critique

A drawback in the tone of the first chapter was that the author was quite hostile towards the

help provided by organisations and did not reprimand the people of Gujarat for being narrow-

minded while accepting the aid. He also paid less attention to the socio-cultural impact and

focused more on the religious aspect.

In the second chapter, the focus is more on how the reforms were obtained and small effort

is put into showing how the people received those.