16. Summary of 'Weathering the storm in Ersama'

Harsh Mander's narrative "Weathering the Storm in Ersama" is based on a true incident that happened in Odisha on October \(27\), 1999. The story's protagonist is Prashant. On October 27, 1999, Prashant paid a visit to Ersama's block headquarters to see his friend.

 

Unfortunately, he was trapped in a super cyclone on that day, which was followed by a flood over the next two days. After two days, when the rain stopped, he decided to return to his village, fearing for his family's safety during the super cyclone.

 

Despite the advice of his friend's family not to return, he started his journey through the floodwaters and returned to his village. However, his entire village was submerged in waist-deep water, and he observed that their family belongings were strewn about in the floodwater. Prashant was taken aback, and his concern for his family's safety increased. He then went to the Red Cross shelter to look for members of his family.

 

There were \(2500\) people at the Red Cross shelter, and he was relieved to find that all of his family members were still alive. Though relieved, he felt compelled to aid the cyclone survivors at the Red Cross shelter because of people's cries and the horrific scenes he had witnessed while crossing the floodwaters.

 

Prashant and his volunteer group were successful in gathering enough food and resources for the entire crowd. The women at the shelter were in charge of the children, while the men took care of the meals. Children's cricket matches were organised. Also, his volunteer group planned to place orphaned children and widows in foster families in their own community, where they would be loved and protected. People, on the other side, see him as a rescuer due to his selfless love, which helped him forget about his worries.