Dayaram Joshi on Natural Calamities

When earth moves or waters rise, our first question is “Why?” We look for blame, bargains, or blessing. But nature is not personal; it is precise. Plates shift, winds gather, rivers seek their path. The sacred question is not why me, but how do I stand now?

What’s really happening

• Law, not mood: Quakes, cyclones, floods follow physical laws.

• Amplifiers are human: Deforestation, clogged drains, building on floodplains, and careless waste turn events into disasters.

• Suffering is real: Philosophy must never cancel care. Grief is sacred; help is duty.

The right posture in four moves

1) See straight

Drop superstition and rumor. Trust reliable alerts, science, and local authorities. Truth saves time—and lives.

2) Act clean

Do what’s yours to do: prepare, evacuate, assist. Don’t block roads for photos, don’t circulate unverified updates, don’t hoard.

3) Hold the heart steady

Panic spreads faster than water. A few long exhales calm the system; calm people are useful people.

4) Learn and repair

After relief comes remedy: restore wetlands, replant banks, clear storm drains, enforce no-build zones. Memory must become design.

Personal readiness (practical, not dramatic)

• Go-bag: IDs, basic meds, water filter, torch, power bank, dry snacks, cash, list of contacts.

• Home habits: Secure shelves, know gas/electric shutoffs, keep documents digitized.

• Family drill: Two rendezvous points, one out-of-town contact. Practice once a quarter.

• Info hygiene: Follow official channels; mute rumor sources during events.

Community actions that change outcomes

• Clean the path of water: Monthly drain and nullah clean-ups; fines for littering that actually bite.

• Green the banks: Native trees and bio-swales along streams; school adoptions of stretches.

• Respect floodplains: No construction where rivers breathe. It’s cheaper than rescue.

• Accountable industry: Real-time effluent disclosure; heavy penalties for violations.

• Volunteer networks: Map skills—doctors, drivers, cooks, ham radio—before the storm.

Spiritual sanity during crisis

• Prayer is not postponement. Pray—and pack the bag.

• Service first: Cook, carry, coordinate. Quiet seva steadies the mind better than speeches.

• No “karmic blaming.” Pain is not a stage for your theories. Offer presence, not pronouncements.

• Honor grief: Sit, listen, hold a hand. Relief is logistics; healing is listening.

A 5-minute steadiness drill (use anytime)

• Sit; exhale a shade longer than you inhale (1 min).

• Name the next clean act (call, pack, move, help) (1 min).

• Message two people with precise info (1 min).

• Offer one line inwardly: “May my action reduce harm” (30 sec).

• Do it. Then repeat.

After the waters drop

Count every “near miss” as tuition. Push for better zoning, waste systems, and early warnings. Remember: resilience is built between disasters, not during them.