MAKE HAY WHEN TSUNAMI STRIKES

It is amazing to see how the army laid down across a bridge, and helped the pilgrims cross over on their backs, when the number of planks wasn't enough. It is humbling to see a group of Sikhs going into ground zero to cremate the dead. They are the sunshine after a storm passes.
And then there are those who made hay in the absence of an actual sunshine. News reports are filled with these shocking stories. A guy tried to make away with a whopping 85 lakh, washed away as part of the five crore kept at the bank. The rest of the money, is either in the silt or in the pockets of the locals, some who have become unexpected millionaires on finding nature's loot.
Food packets, some from our own Mysore city, were and are being sold at 100-200 bucks. Air dropped, these find their way into some locals, who sell them to bewildered pilgrims. This in addition to parothas costing 200 bucks a piece and fried rice for even more. Even basic water was not spared.
On one side, you have the cab drivers who drove through the land slide and right beside the ferociously flowing Mandakani, to ensure their passengers reached safely. They are shamed by their colleagues who are reportedly charging 10,000 rupees for a ride which would cost 500, for relatives who are in search of their loved ones.
This reminds me of Hurricane Katrina. Just when the rescued thought they were safe in the SuperDome, crime broke out. Women were raped and possessions looted. Survivors were turned back by police with shotguns, as the rescue shelters could not accommodate more people. Ambulances were parked on the highway for days, just because the administration did not give them a green signal.
It took three days for Rahul Gandhi to "flag off" a convoy of trucks carrying relief material, once he had got over jet-lag from his Spanish vacation. Not to mention his convoy of SUVs to the site, which further blocked the only roads which were viable for emergency transport.
People get the government they deserve. The initial looting was done by people, who took advantage of helplessness and despair of survivors. The political vultures will come next, siphoning off funds from the relief package.
Yes, some organisations did distribute free food. The Armed forces are carrying out their largest rescue operation, even tragically losing their own men in one of the sorties. Individual stories of survival, bravery and brotherhood will emerge. It's the like the scene from The Dark Knight, where both civilians and convicts refuse to blow up each other's ferries.
But, these few vested interests, who displayed "extraordinary greed" in the midst of an mammoth disaster, i just want to say this: Life comes a full circle.