Arundhati is an 8 year old girl in Bangalore, India.
She lives far away from the ocean, but the Tsunami reached her through the media. She was exposed to the horror and the devastation through television and the media, all of which had left a powerful and lasting impression in her heart and mind.
How does a little girl feel who has been exposed to the Tsunami by the media?
When we met her in Bangalore we were quite surprised to note how much the children had been affected by the Tsunami through the media. Especially what they were thinking about the Tsunami and the memory they carried.
Here is a song written by Arundhati in her attempt to assimilate the Tsunami.
Tsunmai, Tsumai, Tsunami took the children from the land
Tsunmai, Tsumai, Tsunami took the children from the land
Earth quake, Earth quake, Earth quake brought the building to the ground
Earth quake, Earth quake, Earth quake brought the building on the ground…
Imagine millions of children all over the world carrying more or less similar experiences and memories of the Tsunami. Can we do something about it?
Arundhati was given Tsunamika, and we told her the story of Tsunamika. Being a little girl she was instantly drawn to the Tsunamika, and with her imagination she could begin looking at the Tsunami from a different angle. In a very short time Arundhati composed a new song which brought out an entirely new relation that she now has with the Tsunami.
Here is the song…
Tsunamika, Tsunamika, you are the cutest doll I have ever seen
Tsunamika, Tsunamika, you have come out of Tsunami.
All the people who have lost their children all around
And when you come inside their hut all of them are happy now.
Tsunamika, Tsunamika, you are the cutest doll I have ever seen
Tsunamika, Tsunamika, you have come out of Tsunami.
(Listen to her singing)
It is not at all necessary that children all over the world carry the impact of Tsunami as a horror story. We can transform it into something creative, healing and enriching.
It is based on this experience and the aspiration born out of it that we have created a story book on Tsunamika for children.
Thank you Arundhati.
