In the aftermath of the wave

It was a random decision to say the least but it paid off. After arriving at Chennai airport on the Bay of Bengal side of things, we decided to fork out enough rupees for a cabbie ride to the beach instead of heading for (yet another) behemoth of a city that Chennai was rumoured to be. On course to Mamallapuram, a small town in Indian standards tucked away and forgotten between Chennai and Pondicherry, we noticed clusters of empty huts scattered along the East Coast highway. In the evening, discussing the journey with locals, we got the full download of the events around Christmas last year. On this side of the mainland, the tsunami had caused considerable damage to local fishermen who lived in huts built of palm leaves on the beaches. The devastation must have been considerable. In any event, these beaches were now believed jinxed and fishermen had taken a government offer to resettle a bit inland instead. On the positive key, Mamallapuram’s ancient temples were left unharmed by the disaster, and local fishermen are still braving the sea. The cheeky old monkey has returned to his bad habits too! [see below]