Ladakh- A heart breaking devastation

   Ladakh- A heart breaking devastation

 "In one instant the flood rages in,
Attacking the walls wearing them.
The onslaught becomes too much to bear
Unstoppable without warning, no time to prepare.
Pain flashes through the heart and soul
Destroying what was once through whole

Sooner or later the walls crumble and break 

Creating inside an unbearable ache
All at once never in small measures
Memories invade all past treasures
No longer mine, they belong to another
Who does care? who does bother?
The destruction caused by the sky
Has left me forever to cry."

THE Ladakh region has suffered floods in the past also but never in living memory has the fury been so merciless and unremitting as it was on August 6. The cloudburst and the resultant mudslides almost flattened the low-lying areas. More than 150 deaths in a sparsely populated area speak volumes about the gravity of the situation. Over 20,000 persons have been rendered homeless, making it one of the worst tragedies ever to befall Ladakh. Most of the victims happen to be the poorest of the poor – labourers living in temporary sheds along the Indus or its tributaries. The trauma of those with their families’ dead and hardly any worldly possession is too shocking for words.

The need of the hour is to mount a nationwide relief and rehabilitation effort which is commensurate with the extent of the tragedy. This is going to be a gigantic task, given the inaccessibility of the region. Roads, bridges, buildings and communications have to be restored, and in the shortest possible time if help is to reach the sufferers in time. But this is the time for every Indian to prove that his heart is in the right place. I appeal to every reader to rise to the occasion and wipe a tear from the eyes of the survivors.

The cloudburst in Leh caused widespread destruction and the people of Ladakh need help. The citizens of India have shown their magnanimity during such calamities in the past — be it the tsunami, the Orissa cyclone, the Kargil war or the Gujarat earthquake. Our organization has started the Ladakh Relief Fund, which has decided to contribute Rs 5 lakh, appeals to all the citizens of India to donate generously towards The Ladakh Relief Fund. Your donation could make a difference to the families of those who have lost lives or homes. Donations should be in the form of crossed cheques or demand drafts payable to The Prime Minister's National Relief Fund. 

So I appeal all the citizens of India to rise on this occasion and wipe a tear from the eyes of the survivor. Your donations could make a difference! 

                                                                                 

A message for the people of Ladakh:-

Faith is being willing to trust God -
turning your hopes and problems over to Him and trusting in His wisdom -
and knowing that somehow everything will turn out for the best.  No
matter how difficult or dark things become, there is always a light.