A devastating cyclone rips through Kolkata, India, with widespread damage. In this mayhem, a woman discovers an inner strength, resilience.
Cyclone Amphan, as they called it, hit West Bengal (India) on May 20, 2020, claiming more than 86 lives. It affected over 10 million people in the eastern Indian state. Many in the state lost their entire homes, leaving them homeless.
It was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike through eastern India and neighboring Bangladesh. This storm in West Bengal caused massive damage to standing crops. Apart from human and livestock casualties, the cyclone caused severe losses to farmers by destroying their standing crops of paddy, mangoes, and lychee when it was time for harvest.
Amphan uprooted thousands of trees and disrupted the power and water supply in the state capital Kolkata where I live, a metropolitan area of over 14 million people. There were widespread power outages and water shortages across my city.
Hours became days. My apartment and other neighborhood buildings in the southern part of Kolkata had been living without power and potable water for over 60 hours.
Thankfully I had prepared for the storm and stocked food and water before the cyclone hit, but I was anxious. When would everything get back to normalcy?
The new norms brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic kept me from traveling to my family home, which was on the outskirts of the city, and I had not seen my family in many months. But now, the absence of the internet brought communication with my family to a complete halt.
I knew in my heart that my family was okay, but I did want to hear their voice and talk to them. I could only communicate with them once someone restored electrical power. The power utility company said it would take at least another few days to restore the power supply as the wires have snapped in various places. I felt helpless but knew I needed to stay positive.
I remember sitting in a dark room in my apartment, looking out the window. Every activity had stopped, and no one was out on the roads because of the COVID-19 lockdown. The storm took away the essential systems that supported day-to-day functioning.
I had a few resources to get by, like a gas cylinder and daily staples for cooking meals. I was grateful that I could meet my daily needs, but anything that needed electricity to function did not work.
Even though it was hot, humid, and highly uncomfortable, I had to learn to cope. I kept a wet towel that I often wrapped around my neck and face to relieve me.
All my neighbors gathered water from the building's basement tap using water buckets. We shared candles and battery-powered portable lights to go back and forth in the building. The building owners were very kind to everyone, assuring us that we would return to normalcy soon. This attitude helped, but the sheer darkness as the evening set made simple things like eating dinner challenging. Thankfully I had enough staples and a full gas burner to survive this phase. Still, I continued to feel helpless.
Work, of course, had already come to a standstill. In my work, I developed a kid's app and used it to do storytelling workshops producing school events. What would I do now? There was no way I could be getting any work when the economy had come to a halt. How do I make a living now? There had to be a way out of this 'dead end.' This question didn't leave me; it was always in my mind as I overcame the daily challenges of living.
My neighbors and I resolved to fix the electricity and the water crises and restore the building. The building owner took the initiative to locate the electricians responsible for the emergency restoration of the local power grid and the facilities that distributed electricity to the entire locality.
The storm severely damaged power lines, towers, and distribution facilities. Before restoring electricity, the mechanics needed time to fix everything in the power tower.
But we had to get the electricity back because the water supply depended on it. How else could the water pump work? How else could the water pump supply water to the flats?
Going back and forth with the local electric department went on for days, and during this time, I discovered something about myself. I was surprised to see myself adapting and figuring out other ways to do the same things I once did so readily.
For example, I cooked every meal and organized them during the day.
I took advantage of the abundance of natural light to avoid doing much activity in the dark. I knew I had to work without a refrigerator, so I cooked only what I needed for the day. I was surprised at how easily I adapted and noticed that I tend to cope during crises by keeping a positive attitude.
I started to discover a newfound strength in me as the days passed. The outer restraints, such as no electricity, demonstrated the value of my inner resilience.
With each passing day, I learned to work with whatever little resources I had. There was just one bucket of water available for each day. So the only way I could use it was to be economical. I figured out how to bathe with not more than three mugs of water, using the rest for the toilet and cleaning.
The wet hand towels I could put over my face, head, and shoulders were a savior. I realized how such simple adjustments could bring good cooling support during the hot and humid days and nights.
Even though I was physically uncomfortable, I was learning to discipline my mind and check my feelings to stay positive. I saw myself gracefully adapting to life's challenges. I understood that I have resilience, an inner strength that can help me navigate a crisis.
There are ten buildings in my neighborhood. Every day people from the buildings showed up at the local power grid rooms to get the electricity restored. This simple action pressured the local government to get the job done faster. My neighbors and I pooled our money to compensate the electricians. Finally, we saw them start work on the damaged tower. The neighbors took turns staying around the electric workers at night while they worked. As they relentlessly worked, we arranged snacks and hot drinks for them at night.
I saw how, with limited means, we could restore such problems that indeed were causing so much distress to everybody. These experiences showed me that we are unaware of so much power already existing in us. It's only during challenging times do we get to see our true capacity.
That's when this question came to me.
How could I use this newfound inner strength in other ways to make a living and support myself in a post-cyclone world?
This question energized me. I had hope and could sense possibilities, believing I could make my way.
Deepti is a storyteller at heart, a lifelong lover of learning, and an advocate for empowering the visions of aspiring entrepreneurs worldwide. Deepti hails from Kolkata, India.
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