Dear Ukraine

Dear Ukraine, 

It's 5th March 2022, the 10th day of the Russian invasion. You are devastated, yet not fallen. You are injured, yet you are resilient. Your cities are burning, yet you are walking through the fire. You are braving the cold, but it has never sunk in deeper than the skin unlike the enemy. You are almost losing your home, yet you do not give up. The world is predicting this war, the enemy's victory. They say it is a fight between David and Goliath. But remember, David won the war and Goliath fell. He had his courage, whatever small weapons he had in His hand, and His trust in the Lord. My dear Ukraine, politics may not be on your side. But the people of this world are with you. The world is praying for you. The world is rooting for you. Above all, The Lord your God is on your side. Your battle is won! Take courage my fellow world-mate. Rise up from the ashes and fight along with your children. Protect your beautiful home so we can all visit you someday soon. 

Much love

Fellow citizen of your world

#IStandwithUkraine

ISAIAH 43:1-5

But now, this is what the Lord says—

    he who created you, Jacob,

    he who formed you, Israel

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

 When you pass through the waters,

    I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

    they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

    you will not be burned;

    the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the Lord your God,

    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

I give Egypt for your ransom,

    Cush and Seba in your stead.

Since you are precious and honored in my sight,

    and because I love you,

I will give people in exchange for you,

    nations in exchange for your life.

Do not be afraid, for I am with you;

A ripple effect memory

 It was the morning after Christmas and the year was 2004. The eastern half of the world had just had a massive earthquake that measured a 9.4 on the Richter scale. And all I felt was being thrown up in the air from my bed constantly for ten minutes straight at 6:30 AM this Sunday early morning. We all ran down from the fourth floor within minutes to find the whole neighborhood down there waiting for us. We were looking and waiting for the building to come crashing down on us for we had nowhere else to run. Ten minutes had passed. Twenty minutes went by and nothing happened. Thinking we were out of danger we went back to our routine unaware of what was to come. 

Two hours later at 8:30 AM a bunch of friends and I were so excited about what had happened earlier. This was not our first time to experience an earthquake in Chennai. Every time it had happened, we would always hope that our schools would declare a holiday. It had never been fatal in our region. It had never gone beyond just that earthquake and a few tremors. But this time, nature had a different plan. 

The epicenter of the earthquake was off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia right under the sea. The ripple effect of this had caused a tsunami within minutes on the coasts of Indonesia and had set off towards Eastern India, Sri Lanka and Andamans. A Tsunami? What is that? None of us knew what a tsunami was until that fateful day. We were not aware of such a thing as an under the sea earthquake, tectonic plates or nothing of that sort. All we heard while were catching up with each other that morning was wailing and crying, clanging of vessels and the sound of the waves as always since we lived only ten minutes from the beach. Soon we saw a group of people running helter skelter, while another group walked further into the beach wondering what had just happened. The first wave had done its damage and pulled thousands of people into the sea. This second group of people, out of curiosity walked towards the water wondering what had happened to those who were washed away only to be engulfed by the second wave that came just 15 minutes later at a height of 30 feet. Millions had died that Sunday, homes were broken, families were washed away as a whole, livelihoods were lost and what not. What we were seeing was indescribable. Something that will forever be etched in our minds. 

A week had passed and we the survivors of this beautiful city wanted to do something to help. We reached out to 5 fishing villages across our coast and began our work with them. Over the next month we worked with them to rehabilitate them. Building new thatched roof homes, continuing classes for their children, teaching them music and dance, cooking food for them and with them and much more. Our four weeks with them was coming to an end. One afternoon we asked the children to draw anything that comes to their minds. We were not shocked to see that every single child drew a picture of the tsunami and what they had lost because of that. But in the midst of this was a handsome, blue eyed, ten year old boy called Mahesh. 

Mahesh had lost both his parents to the tsunami. He was hearing and speech impaired, and with all this loss that he had experienced he said he wants to take us somewhere special. He took us to what used to be his father’s Catamaran, fishing boat and took us for a ride deep into the Bay of Bengal. He signed to us that’s where his parents are and that he will continue his father’s legacy of being a fisherman. He said that the sea did not scare him. Because life did not scare him anymore. 

You asked me to write my favorite memory and I know that what I have written might not sound like a “happy” memory. But this memory stands out for me always because in the middle of that sea that took his parents, that little boy Mahesh taught me that the value of life is not determined by what we do with our lives but by how we live it. Those few moments I felt empowered by him is and always will be my most favorite memory of all. For that memory has started a ripple effect in me that continues till date. It helps me live life with no fear and helps me to take things head on.