July 9, 2023 morning was like any morning at
Jharmari, Punjab. By noon however, it was a day unlike any. The whole of
Jharmari was deluged. We had some rains the previous day, but nothing unusual.
But by 10 am water levels outside Sumedha Centre at Jharmari was rising. We
thought the building was safe. But the water level kept rising. We tried to
block the water from entering the building. But the effort was futile. Soon
there was angle deep water all over the ground floor. We wanted to save at
least the carpeted chapel floor. It was useless. Water found its way all over,
entering every room and office, the dining hall, the conference hall, therapy rooms,
kitchen and store rooms. Water was rushing in from both the front and back of
the building
.
We were told some dam had been opened to let out the
waters accumulated from torrential rains somewhere else. The rice fields in
Jharmari (rice had been planted only a few weeks ago) go inundated. From the
day before, we did not have electricity. Main power source had been cut
off. Because of the cloudy skies our
solar batteries could not be charged. We could not pump water. The internet
failed. There was water up to waist level on the road outside. About 50 feet of
the Don Bosco playground wall had collapsed, causing a further rush of water on
to the campus.
By eleven pm water began to recede a little. By
early next morning around 4.30 the building was cleared of water, but filled
with silt.
Fortunately we had sun shine for about an hour and
so the solar panels got charged and we were able to pump water for a while. The
inverters also got charge a little and worked sometime and fans could run till
morning.
On the 10th morning we began the cleaning
up operation. The workers who had completed the renovation work at Sumedha only
recently and were now working on the Don bosc and the participants of the
current Sumedha programme helped. However, soon it was raining and water level
rose quite suddenly and even higher than yesterday. The ground floor was
inundated again. There was nearly two feet of water within the building. All
that was on the ground floor up to that level was drenched in water. That
included, clothes, books, documents, photo albums kept in the cupboards. We
removed what we could to the first floor. Participants of the ongoing Sumedha
Sadhana programme had to take shelter on the first floor.
Gas cylinders and utensils for cooking had to be carried
to the first floor. Our cooks were able to cook some “kichdi” and roti. We were
not able to go out to get provisions. The road outside had chest deep water in
some places. Fortunatley we had some purified drinking water stored in big
Bisleri containers.
As on the previous day today too we had water
rushing in both through the front door and the kitchen door at the back and
water coming up through the sink holes in the bathrooms, as all the surrounding
area was saturated with water.
Water began receding on the 11th morning,
leaving behind mud, soaked books, papers and clothes. We got some workers to
clean up the mess and try salvaging what we could from all that is soaked in the
muddy water.
The drying up process is continuing even after
nearly 2 weeks.
Some Personal Reflections
Unpleasant things often happen suddenly and
unexpectedly. We cope the way can and ty to move on with our lives. But then
the worse is still to come. On the second day the water levels rose much higher
than the first day – something we did not expect to happen. All our efforts to
clean up the previous day’s mess went in vain.
So too in life one bad thing happens, putting our
normal routine life out of gear. We deal with it, and feel comfortable again,
and then worse things happen. We have one traumatic experience and somehow cope
with it, but then it is followed by many other traumatic experiences. I think
of those who are abused and battered again and again. How do they cope?
Annie Dillard in “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” observed: “That something is everywhere
and always amiss is part of the very stuff of creation.” Yes, we may be aware
of it. Bad things do happen. To other people and elsewhere. An event like the
deluge remind us that we are not immune. Now we know it happens to us, in the
here and now.
However, God’s provident care follows us in the
midst of disaster. As we read in prophet Isaiah “When you pass though the
water, I will be with you; in the rivers you shall not drown” (43, 2)
I witnessed the goodness of people. Adversity brings
the best out of us and also brings us together. The workers and the Sumedha
participants stepped in on their own initiative and did their best to salvage
whatever they could and fully participated in the cleanup operation. I did not
hear even once anyone complain of the situation and the inconveniences, but
helped one another, tried to keep up one another’s spirits.
As I went through all that was drenched, I also
discovered many things that I did not know I had with me, among them some
precious photographs. Some of them were damaged beyond redemption. I hope to
post on Facebook some of the saved photos that enable me to look back with
nostalgia. Perhaps these photos will also bring back the nostalgic memories of
some of you who have been part of my life journey.
I also discovered that I had amassed a lot of stuff
that I had not used even once and would never use. The flood enabled me to get
rid of them and preserve only what is really important. As during the Covid-19,
I realised the need to simplify my life, to manage with little and not amass
and store lot of stuff - clothes for example. The flood was an invitation to
“downward mobility” – managing life with less and less rather than join the bandwagon
of “upward mobility” trying to have and use “more and more” and “better and
better” stuff.
There is some sadness that I lost somethings
precious to me, personally and professionally: some out-of- print books,
collection of articles on various topics, some important documents – and some
nostalgic photographs. However, I can manage life without these.
As Annie Dillard observed, lot of things are amiss
in life, bad things happen. And as I often tell my personal growth workshop
participants. “I have no control over anything that happens outside me. I have
only control over my response to them and that response is what really
matters.”
"There is sunshine after the rain,
There is laughter alter the pain!"
I am grateful for the lessons that the deluge taught
me.
Jose Parappully
