Message from an Al Ghubra resident

Hey, read what Dr Prema Seshadri, an active member of the Art of Living (AoL) in Oman, has to
say about Cyclone Gonu. Dr Prema resides in Muscat, or more precisely, in Al Ghubra, an area, which has been severely affected by the storm.
Read Dr Prema's thoughts on this storm.


Dear All,

The real magnitude of the impact of Cyclone Gonu can neither be expressed in words nor pictures. As a resident of probably one of the worst hit areas, Ghoubra, we can vouch for a tale of destruction that one has till now only seen on television or read in the media. We have just got back power and a reluctant but steadily improving telecommunication facility after having gone through the horrors of a blackout which hit us at the same time the storm and the floods hit us. IWe stood at the window of my room watching the muddy wadi waters deceptively make its first foray down the road when all of a sudden it was joined by floods from two other directions and erupted into a nightmare! Within seconds the flood from three directions battered against our corner villa and poured in through every nook and cranny. Soon we had waist high water inside my house. As it started creeping up the steps to our first floor where all of us - men and animals - had sheltered, we were ready to redefine the very concept of nightmare and helplessness. As the filthy waters rose in our house, we felt strangely violated. Then came the feeling of resignation. We were too numbed to be angry. And we felt too helpless to be useful. It marked the beginning of three days of living life the way the cavemen did! Its just that we had no caves to draw our history!

But the tragedy brought with it a sense of camaraderie, a one-ness, a belongingness, and pure unconditional service. Throughout the days and evenings, we have seen and continue to see Omani youth motor down the ravaged roads distributing relief...there is no tom-tomming, no one-upmanship, no sense of dooership...they were there to reach out to us any which they could. The army have been amazing too, tirelessly distributing much-needed water. I salute these people of this land.

I walk around the neighborhood every evening. For somebody who loves to tell a story, I feel too bereft to narrate the horror that I witness every evening. The tension, the loss, the tiredness, the residual fear that have drawn deep scars on the faces of the people of this neighborhood cannot be scripted or photographed. We stand or sit with them for a few minutes and realize they are too afraid even to meet the eye in case they are confronted by the fear they feel. We know of families who have lost their kith and kin. We know groups of people who thought they had weathered the storm only to perish as they came down from their so-called safe perch. We know people who are still looking lost because they have lost what they have associated themselves with for the last couple of decades. No, pictures of smashed cars do not do justice to the tragedy that Gonu unleashed on the citizens of Oman. No, Gonu did not just veer away leaving the people untouched and unharmed. The pain and tragedy of this last week is going to leave an indelible mark on the psyches of the people for a long long time to come.
But what we will also remember is the help and support and comfort that have come from so many people these last four days. Bob and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you out there who have kept us strong and smiling.

With love and gratitude,

Prema and Bob