September, 2008

As I write this post, I enjoy the privileges that I am blessed with in a developed nation, with a great sense of humility and respect. The past five days have been a great yet small journey where I have once again seen and felt that so many things that we have worked hard in life - could vanish in a second - and it is important to relish and appreciate things that we take for granted in our lives. Hurricane Ike swept through the South East parts of Texas - Galveston County and its islands, Pasadena, Texas City and other coastal areas - eventually making its way through Harris County and Houston before heading upwards and vanishing into the mysterious airs of Mother Nature. The hype to the arrival of Hurricane Ike was frightening and one could gather the constant fight against decisions and indecisions - should i leave/should i not, should i buy more water/should i not. If anything it would have been wiser to write down such battles within our minds and calcualte which ones were worth the deliberation. Thursday afternoon seemed like the day of the panic button - people lining up to fill their gases, others deciding to head towards the Western parts of Texas and Kroger/HEB/Walmart consumed with people as if were Disney Land. With the help of my colleagues I was able to stock up some essentials - water, bread, butter, Pringles and batteries. Even during the phase of the stock up, we were constantly fighting the battle of “should we leave or not?”.

Friday morning came along and I figured through many phone conversations that most of the people I knew had stayed up all night to figure out what was going to happen in Texas. The decision to not fight the question of leaving vs not leaving was shut down by the local officials as they advised people to stay indoors past noon on Friday. A friend of mine joined me at my house and we decided to ride out the storm. I was going to stay with a few of my colleagues but having more friends join me at my apartment ensured that I cannot do that. Constant calls between friends/colleagues and neighbors including family from outside the country as well as my parents played a critical role in making sure that we check marked all the essential commodities that we needed. It also hyped up the situation playing a good role in pushing up the adrenaline and wondering what was laying ahead. Anderson Cooper of CNN put that all thought of “what to expect” to rest when he blatantly stated what the Federal Weather Department had issued - “if you live in the coastal areas and you do not leave - it is sure death”. Such a warning and if one did not heed it - you would assume they were not in their correct minds or just utter idiots.

Around 9 p.m. the winds started getting a bit more “pacier” and the gusts more frequent. Midnight and the coconut trees along with its cousins were doing the pre-show to the eventual feature presentation. Of course it was interesting to see a couple “getting it on” in the jacuzzi with wind speeds nearly reaching 50mph and things falling everywhere. At least now they have something to tell their grand kids and a possible day of remembrance - or not! The lights went off at around 2 am and the process of getting scared/running around the apartment complex/peeking through windows and starting odd/weird conversations began. Trying to sleep was not an option since the main opera had come to town and it was getting more windier/noisier and much much more pounding with fists of rain. A small sequential firework crew called 75mph Gust boys set to work as we watched in awe and shock as more transformers went off in the gloomy skies. I felt a feeling of appreciation at the power of Mother Nature’s will but also a feeling of helplessness as I foresaw the future - definetly no electricity/water for a few days.

The hammering went for 6 to 7 hours and we waited patiently. It was hard to get through to anyone outside my apartment since the phone lines were jammed and signal strength fading to minus signed bars. As the sun began to creep slowly but surely in the morning, we were able to see what Ike had left behind - fallen trees, debris that had swept across the streets, areas of flooding, houses wrecked, land scapes completely changed, lives lost, business demolished and relief/agony ready to participate. Around noon time, we drove around the areas near my apartment and to count the times we were completely bamboozled was simply impossible. A BMW 5 series car stuck in an area that was flooded atleast to a height of 2 feet signified that nature does not care whether you are rich or poor - democratic or republican - vegetarian or not - just that you were in its damn way - so GET OUT! If life were only that easy - what a complete irony is it not?

The past 5 days have been simply put - tiring and full of lessons to be learnt with a higher sense of appreciation/gratitude for the things that we are blessed with.  As I washed my dishes with a small amount of water that I had collected from the rain water that was falling from the roofs, I realized that it has been some time since I appreciated what Mother Nature gives us everyday - so much so that I went and took a shower right underneath that waterfall.

For more information and pictures please visit:

http://thaneshsadachcharan.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=23

http://www.youtube.com/thaneshk

And Do not hesitate to volunteer or give some of your hard earned money to those who have absolutely lost everything.

Just a quick question to people who consider themselves “conservative” or “right-winged” - Since you have asked the media, left wing conspiracy authors and other independents to stay out of Sarah Palin’s daughter’s life, would it also be fair to ask YOU ALL to stay out of the lives of others. I think the choice that the family made for the daughter to get her married off to the individual who “does not want to have kids”, is exhibited as a choice made by the girl herself. What if a different girl under different circumstances and context did not have the environment, financial support or the Republican party to give birth to a child because she was raped - can you stay out of her life as well?

Wonder what you would say about Barack Obama if one of his girls would have gone through this… hmmmm….

First and foremost, Senator Barack Obama did not state the phrase “lipstick on a pig” as a sign that a sexist would exhibit nor did he intend to attach that phrase with Governor Sarah Palin. Instead that phrase has been hyped by the media and the Republican insiders as a sign that Obama is playing the “gender card”. Appalling but what has disappointed me more is that Senator McCain is playing along with it. I have the greatest respect for Senator McCain as a maverick, a reformer and also as a great servant of this country. I believe that some of his policies are admirable and should be implemented, but one of the most important things that we have to look forward to in a leader is the ability to communicate and also implement policies to tackle the issues that we have in this country today with a sense of honesty and humility. I sensed that after the Republican primaries of 2000, McCain would not follow the “Karl Rove” politics nor the “Swift Boat” politics that had affected his run for the highest office.  I expect and this is a personal opinion, that people should learn from the hardship that they have faced and in the words of all religions of this world, not impose those same hardship on others. What McCain seems to be doing these days is implying alot of cards - “race”, “gender” and even “age” through his experience conversations that somehow Obama is less honest, less humane than he is. As disappointing as this is, it is also disappointing to see the media and the public getting into this frenzy as much as they have. People seem to be talking more about how “hot” Sarah Palin is rather than the policies and issues that she stands for.

I hope as John McCain said in the Republican Covention that he is not standing for President as his opponent believes because it is destiny, Sarah Palin might believe that she should be Vice President since God has such a plan - just like she believed about the “Bridge to Nowhere”.