Poem 6 - Weathering The Storm In Ersama

Brief Description:

Weathering the Storm in Ersama by Harsh Mander is a real account of a storm that had struck the coastal region of Odisha, Ersama. The story is written in a second-person perspective, with Prashant being the protagonist of the story. This is his account of the events and happenings of the storm, its aftermath, and how he helped the people in his village. The background of the story dates back to 27th October 1999 when Prashant had gone to play with a friend, and suddenly a storm hit the village.

Exactly seven years ago, his mother had passed away, and today seven years later, the wind beat against the trees; trees were uprooted, people’s houses got washed away. The water reached his friend’s house as well, almost till the neck. However, because the building was secure, it did not break or get washed away. The destruction continued for nearly a day and a half, i.e. 36 hours with a wind speed of 350 kmph. The consequences of the storm were devastating. This story is sad yet inspiring, as it tells how Prashant helped the villagers from the aftermath of the storm.

Explanation:

In continuation to the story, Prashant, his friend and his friend’s family took shelter on the roof of the building. When the wind’s speed had slowed down, all that met the eye, was brown muddy water. Shattered houses, dead bodies of humans and animals were floating on it. For the next two days, they had no option but to sit on the rooftop. Prashant was worried about his family whether they survived the storm or whether he was about to lose a loved one again. They had to survive on raw coconuts from uprooted coconut trees.

Those two days, which seemed like two years, had passed, the rain had receded, and water began to decrease slowly. Prashant was adamant on finding his family, despite the already foreseen dangerous. He got hold of a thick and sturdy stick and started on his journey of 18 kilometres to find his family. Though he used a stick to see the roads, yet he had to swim at places where the water was too deep to walk through. On his way, he found two of his uncle’s friends. They decided to move ahead together. As they proceeded further, they had to move away dead bodies from their way, bodies of women, men, children, dogs, cattle, etc. This struck fear in Prashant’s heart as he knew his family couldn’t have survived this catastrophe, and they must’ve died. He started crying loudly.

When Prashant reached his village, Kalikuda he saw there was nothing remaining except the roof of his house. His belongings were scattered on branches of trees. He decided to go to the Red Cross shelter to find his family. Upon reaching there, he saw his maternal grandmother and his extended family. They were relieved to see him.

There were around 2500 people in the shelter, and they were all weak and hungry as they survived only on green coconuts. He decided to step in as a leader of his village and help everyone out. Later, he gathered a group of volunteers and asked them to clean up the shelter as it was filthy. They together went out and got food for everyone. The story then unfolds the way he saved the lives of the people in his village from the aftermath of the storm.

To understand the story better, refer to NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 6 PDF, and Weathering the Storm in Ersama Extra Questions and Answers.