PSYCHOLOGICAL / HEALTH ASPECTS
When even atheists turn to God. (The Tribune,
11-02-01)
Faith. You can do very little with it but you can do
nothing without it. So the Gujaratis strongly believe and continue to live life on the
razor's edge despite all odds weighing heavily against them and those they hold dear.
The inability to predict earthquakes has turned them towards the only possible answer to
the crisis that has befallen their lot - God, the omnipresent and the unseen.
While they firmly stand by the opinion that when goodness grows weak and evil
increases, God comes to redeem humanity and they are going all out to placate Him, pamper
Him and please Him.
"Catastrophe and calamities are His ways of bringing about a balance in the
system. Nobody can do anything when He decides on destruction", claims Bhanuben, a
resident of Naranpura.
Besides making a beeline for mosques and temples, incidentally the rush has more
than doubled since the quake and the residents have taken to lighting earthen lamps.
'In Gujarat, they burn TV, the 'epicentre of evil'.
Superstition follows the earthquake, Muslims told to destroy the 'devil's toys''. (Indian
Express)
In teendarwaza, people took out their television sets
and set them ablaze on the road to prevent recurrence of earthquakes. Around 24 sets had
already been destroyed. Tow moulvis of the area had asked the people to destroy their TV
sets which are spreading 'obscenity and immorality' in the society and thus attracting
God's wrath.
…..scared and shaken, the traumatised people of the earthquake hit areas are
taking refuge in religion for solace. Temples and mosques have hardly seen so many
visitors before but now the fear of recurrence of the quake had turned the population
superstitious. First a wave of scare had gripped the entire area after an astrologer had
made a forecast that another quake was to strike on February 3. And people abandoned even
those houses, which had not even developed cracks in the earlier quake in fear.
In fact, in the temporary shelter and tents pitched for the victims of the quake
across Gujarat, the chanting of Bhajans and Kirtans and conduct of special prayers has
become a regular feature. And in the Muslim areas, people keep on reading verses from the
Quran loudly. "It is the only way to recover from such a tragedy. We accept it as
God's will. WE believe that it had to happen and the only way to get out of this shock is
to seek God's help only," said Nurmohamad yousuf, a Muslim priest in Bhuj.
….The population of the Jains in Bhuj is around 6,000 and a majority of them
have moved to pilgrim centres - the Bohotar Jenaleya (72 temples) near Mandvi. "We
have a roof on our head here. And the community leaders have made all the arrangements
from food to medical care", said Shantibhai Morabia, who lost his three relatives and
house in the quake. "And we also spend our time in prayers seeking forgiveness for
our sins".
Schools may be panacea for frayed nerves (Times of
India, 14-02-01)
An increasing number of academicians are looking to
schools to usher in a semblance of normalcy into shaken lives. If schoolchildren start
smiling again, their parents too will relax, they say. Even UNICEF has officially endorsed
this view.
A team of IIM professors and schoolteachers has just returned from villages in
Surendranagar with evidence that schools can help in restoring normalcy. Zeroing in on
Tikar and Nava Ghatalia villages in Surendranagar, they held an informal drawing
competition and the response was overwhelming.
``As soon as we announced the event at Tikar, 45 to 50 children gathered to
participate," says professor at the Centre for Educational Innovation, IIM, Brij
Kothari who led the team. ``We provided drawing material and they provided the enthusiasm.
Seeing them, even their parents were happy," he adds.
At Nava Ghatalia village, children were so enthusiastic that they performed the
cultural programmes they had prepared for Republic Day. Stressing the importance of
schools in such circumstances, Kothari says: ``It is necessary to engage children in
various activities. No point in letting them stare at crumbled buildings and let the
feeling of depression sink in."
…….Paediatric neurologist Varsha Tripati, who worked at Mehsana's Lions
Hospital after the quake, narrates her experience of two children whose tests threw up
normal reports. One of them was in such a state of shock that he could not speak. The
other spoke about irrelevant things and laughed when expected to cry. When these children
were allowed to talk to and interact with children of their age, they responded very well.
``I feel group activities should be encouraged as that will give them an outlet to air
their feelings," says Tripati.
'Nearly 10.000 quake victims need crutches' (Times of
India, 14-02-01)
The republic day earthquake has rendered nearly 10,000
people in need of assistive devices to support themselves.
'This is only the beginning of a long battle'. After
emergency first-aid, doctors, policy-makers say only sustained effort can nurse broken
lives and hearts back to health. (Times of India, 17-02-01)
Beneath a makeshift shelter sprawl the women of Hirji
gamily. While one bears a head injury, the remaining five have fractured limbs. A few feet
away sits a man hugging a toddler and smiling to himself. His wife died in the killer
quake and he has been unable to come to terms with the shock. "In the weeks since the
earthquake, two people have died of heart attacks", says Varsha Thakkar, the village
health worker, busy changing dressings and examining fractured fingers. "When I look
around, I feel sick with anxiety. Who, I keep wondering, will nurse Amardi back to health.
This is a question, which has been worrying NGOs, doctors and policy-makers in
Kutch. Along with houses and dreams, the earthquake destroyed hospitals and health centres
across the district. While immediate medical assistance came from as far afield as France
and Israel, it will require a sustained effort to get the local population back on its
feet.
"Many of the emergency medical teams are in the process of leaving…but
the follow-up work will be enormous. In cases of orthopaedic injuries, for example,
dressings will have to be changed, infections prevented and check-ups conducted".
"…… but emergency first-aid does not always tackle the
problem." A fractured limb, for example, may need more than just a plaster cast - it
may require resetting or a surgical proceedure. "Orthopaedic patients, over time,
will also need physiotherapy and artificial limbs…Then there are the psychological
aspects and chronic health problems which need tending."
…..This is only the beginning of a long battle against trauma, epidemics and
handicaps."
….. While the issue of basic healthcare is difficult enough, that of mental
health is mind boggling. Already, NGOs have reported cases of attempted suicide.
And from the rickshaw driver in Bhuj who complains of "constant unease",
to the youngster who obsessively returns to the spot where his best friend was killed, a
large number of people will need weapons to fight terror and depression. "We do try
to counsel patients, but professional help is essential", says Dr Kumar. "After
all, these people have lost their entire world".
…. Clearly the need is acute. For as Thakkar says, "If a loud truck
passes by, the children start screaming.
Everywhere are broken legs and broken hearts. Right now, everybody wants to apply
balm. But what will happen if you people forget us in two months?"
Giddy? Perhaps it's a ringing ear. (Times of India,
21-02-01)
" I have these terrible spells of giddiness
throughout the day. If they continue, I fear I will put my life and that of my family in
danger in case another quake strikes", says Savita voicing her concern.
Post earthquake, physicians are flooded with patients complaining non-specified
giddiness that has been stubbornly persisting since the big quake. While an anxious few
are insisting that doctors carry out detailed investigation to diagnose growing
hypertension or worse, an impending heart failure, doctors refrain it is all in the mind
or, may be, ears!'
- Psychological response to disasters is also deeply
rooted in the cultural and religious context, which dictates how people perceive the cause
of the disaster and respond to it. Their response may be highly irrational but they
nevertheless serve to help the community mentally cope with disasters. The case of burning
TV sets is worth mentioning here. How one should handle this is a very difficult and
sensitive question but nevertheless demands to be taken into consideration.
- While physical injured and handicapped are enormous
and need special care. There are many who are affected mentally. Both need sustained
effort to nurse broken lives and hearts back to health besides dealing with various
handicaps. These needs special measures for victims of different age groups and sexes
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