Millions across the world watched with growing fear & concern, as the devastating earthquake & tsunami hit Japan's fragile landscape last friday in the afternoon. The 8.9 Richter scale quake, which centered around the east coast of Japan, located off Miyagi Prefecture, has caused unfathomable damage to lives, infrastructure & economy. The extent of the loss is yet to be ascertained & would surely take months to do so, as survivors are grappling with the situation at hand.
Shocking pictures on TV, as if in slow motion, showed huge waves gushing in & then flowing like lava across the land, wash away anything & everything, consuming buildings, vehicles, ships etc in their path. Huge walls of water from the ocean, sweeping across rice fields, engulfing entire towns, dragging huge houses & tossing vehicles of all shapes & sizes like toys. It was like what you see in Hollywood movies, only this was real....very very real....& very very scary.
Ariel views showed smoke bellowing from high rises, as fire broke out, adding to the chaos. To add to all of this has been the explosions in the Fukushima nuclear power plant, leading to widespread fear of radiation hazards, the extent of which could be more serious than the Chernobyl disaster !!!
People of Japan are probably facing their biggest challenge & disaster since World War 2, as they still carry the scars of the Hiroshima / Nagasaki carnage. From that nuclear holocaust & aftermath for generations, they had practically built themselves into one of the super powers of the World, which even the mighty Americans came to admire & accept. A land that has always been prone to natural calamities, a thin strip on the Pacific prone to volcanic eruptions, quakes, & what nots, with hardly any natural resources to fall back on, Japan houses one of the calmest bunch of people. More than 70% of land in Japan is forests, mountains & unsuitable for agricultural, industrial or residential use. As a result, habitation is mainly located in the coastal areas, with high population densities. Yet, we witness a gentle bow, a gentle smile, a quiet resolve of steel,......Japanese are a lesson to the world, an example of how to handle crisis. Even in this scale of calamity, they are orderly & composed. News clippings show, how they are patiently queueing up for basic needs like water, food & medicines, as authorities manage distribution across the strife areas. There are thousand of people who have gone missing, already thousands dead in the debris, a huge hole in their economy & an uncertain future ahead to tackle. It is simply amazing that Japanese in various parts of the world continue their Social developmental activities & commitments, despite, their own country under such duress & in such difficult times.
As I write this article, news trickle of another aftershock; another blast at the Fukushima reactor site. Something like this would have been crippling in any other part of the world. But Japs have immense reservoir of patience, courage & faith. The authorities are attempting to cool the reactors with sea water, knowing fully well that these reactors would have to be abandoned for good.
With thousands of people getting evacuated, there is an obvious shortage in supply of essentials like water, food, medicines, blankets & electricity. The authorities are announcing sustained blackouts to conserve power, which needs to be saved for the relief activities. Yet people keep faith in their authorities, they keep faith in their God. There is no sign of loot or arson or corruption. They are all willing to share the burden of the calamity. Such stoic calm & discipline....completely unheard or experienced of, especially in a disaster of this proportion. This is what would make Japan rise out of the ashes once again, & reach the zenith. I share their belief ....I share their faith !!!!
We the people in India & the rest of the world need to join hands together in helping Japan in this moment of crisis, in any form that we can. I personally would be happy to associate myself with any relief operations there. Meanwhile, let us all pray for a speedy recovery & normalcy, because prayer connects, & is very powerful !!
Hats off to the people in Japan.....the Land of the RisingSun Tsunami !!!!!
Shocking pictures on TV, as if in slow motion, showed huge waves gushing in & then flowing like lava across the land, wash away anything & everything, consuming buildings, vehicles, ships etc in their path. Huge walls of water from the ocean, sweeping across rice fields, engulfing entire towns, dragging huge houses & tossing vehicles of all shapes & sizes like toys. It was like what you see in Hollywood movies, only this was real....very very real....& very very scary.
Ariel views showed smoke bellowing from high rises, as fire broke out, adding to the chaos. To add to all of this has been the explosions in the Fukushima nuclear power plant, leading to widespread fear of radiation hazards, the extent of which could be more serious than the Chernobyl disaster !!!
People of Japan are probably facing their biggest challenge & disaster since World War 2, as they still carry the scars of the Hiroshima / Nagasaki carnage. From that nuclear holocaust & aftermath for generations, they had practically built themselves into one of the super powers of the World, which even the mighty Americans came to admire & accept. A land that has always been prone to natural calamities, a thin strip on the Pacific prone to volcanic eruptions, quakes, & what nots, with hardly any natural resources to fall back on, Japan houses one of the calmest bunch of people. More than 70% of land in Japan is forests, mountains & unsuitable for agricultural, industrial or residential use. As a result, habitation is mainly located in the coastal areas, with high population densities. Yet, we witness a gentle bow, a gentle smile, a quiet resolve of steel,......Japanese are a lesson to the world, an example of how to handle crisis. Even in this scale of calamity, they are orderly & composed. News clippings show, how they are patiently queueing up for basic needs like water, food & medicines, as authorities manage distribution across the strife areas. There are thousand of people who have gone missing, already thousands dead in the debris, a huge hole in their economy & an uncertain future ahead to tackle. It is simply amazing that Japanese in various parts of the world continue their Social developmental activities & commitments, despite, their own country under such duress & in such difficult times.
As I write this article, news trickle of another aftershock; another blast at the Fukushima reactor site. Something like this would have been crippling in any other part of the world. But Japs have immense reservoir of patience, courage & faith. The authorities are attempting to cool the reactors with sea water, knowing fully well that these reactors would have to be abandoned for good.
With thousands of people getting evacuated, there is an obvious shortage in supply of essentials like water, food, medicines, blankets & electricity. The authorities are announcing sustained blackouts to conserve power, which needs to be saved for the relief activities. Yet people keep faith in their authorities, they keep faith in their God. There is no sign of loot or arson or corruption. They are all willing to share the burden of the calamity. Such stoic calm & discipline....completely unheard or experienced of, especially in a disaster of this proportion. This is what would make Japan rise out of the ashes once again, & reach the zenith. I share their belief ....I share their faith !!!!
We the people in India & the rest of the world need to join hands together in helping Japan in this moment of crisis, in any form that we can. I personally would be happy to associate myself with any relief operations there. Meanwhile, let us all pray for a speedy recovery & normalcy, because prayer connects, & is very powerful !!
Hats off to the people in Japan.....the Land of the Rising
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