Paradise Lost by the Tsunami

What has happened in the south East Asian region is extremely sad. It is hard to imagine all the devastation that has brought about such human loss. It is harder for me to accept the fact that the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been completely flattened. I spent 2 years in Carnicobar. At the age of eight, for me that place was heaven. Even now 14 years after my adventure I have very fond and vivid memories of Carnicobar. The island was wild and beautiful. Anything and everything for me was a toy. I played on the beaches for hours. After having my coconut milk every evening, I would release my energy by skating from one end of the runway to the other. I always thought the coconut milk gave me magical energy. I attended MUS School in the north of Carnicobar Island. During lunch breaks I would have my lunch with friends on the beach. During play time we would play in the adjoining jungle making little huts from coconut tree leaves and branches. I and a friend of mine would go and pinch supari (chewable sweet tobacco) that was laid out by the tribal people in the sun to dry. We would be chased back to school by the tribal men who farmed them. One time we sat in our classroom chewing the supari and went berserk laughing. The teacher tried to carry on teaching but then she gave up and laughed with us. Every weekend I with my parents and sister would have picnics on Kakana and Passa beaches. On Kakana beach waves would reach heights of 3 metres.
My toys were the coconut shells, the sand, driftwood and sea shells of various types. I would not have traded them for any other play thing. Those were the happiest days of my life. The only time I was ever upset while on the island was when I had to go for my booster injections. Looking back the island taught me how to be free of any restraints that the world tries to impose.

It is heartbreaking to see such tragedy befall such a wonderful and magical place. It is hard to imagine how anyone could have escaped the onslaught on the tiny islands. The memories of my life on the islands are a treasure to me just as the memories of the people who have lost their lives will be treasured by the ones they left behind.

- 29th December 2004