The super cyclone that hit the Orissa coast on October 29 appears to have completely overshadowed the people in the Ganjam and Gajapati districts of the southern part of the state. The people who were badly affected by a severe cyclone just 12 days earlier! The government itself pegs the loss of lives and property in that cyclone at 197 and Rs 1,066 crore (Rs 10.66 billion) respectively. Of course, unofficially the death toll goes beyond 300 and the loss to property is to the tune of Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 15 billion). Prime Minister A B Vajpayee had come for an aerial survey and announced an aid of Rs 50 crore (Rs 500 million). The relief work for the affected people was just beginning to take off when the super cyclone struck and the southern Orissa cyclone was put on the back-burner. The CM, at the cyclone review meeting, clarified that all the districts would get equal treatment; but the south Orissa cyclone was called 'severe', not 'super.' The wind speed on October 17,18 was 185 kilometres/hour while on October 29,30 it had crossed 200 km/hr. "South Orissa has been totally ignored, it has not even received the kind of treatment that some districts that were not half as badly-hit by the super cyclone got," says Somnath Nayak, a prominent CPI leader of Ganjam. Statistics bear out his contention. While only 51 MT rice have been sent as relief for the 3.1 million affected people in the 22 blocks of Ganjam, the distribution of rice in the coastal districts have been in thousands of MT. Similarly, Ganjam did not feature among the districts to which all the relief material coming from outside was sent. Additional Relief Commissioner Manoj Ahuja explains it thus: "Since relief operations had already began in south Orissa in the wake of the earlier cyclone, coastal districts got priority." But the people of south Orissa are not amused as they feel their just claims have been cruelly sidelined. The CPI is planning to issue a white paper and launch an agitation to ensure redressal for the people who not only lost more than a hundred thousand houses and 50,000 livestock, but are deprived of aid just because their area does not feature in the super cyclone list. For the people of Jagatsinghpur, worst-ravaged by the super cyclone, god has a new name – Sant Mohan Singhji Pehowa, Babajee. He sits right in the midst of death and devastation radiating benevolence and piety. Babajee opened the Shree Guru Nanak Devjee langar nine days ago which daily feeds 100,000 destitutes whose only means of survival is the roti and dal provided by Babajee's followers. Their service does not stop at feeding the people alone, they also pack dry rations in packets and send out trucks to other affected areas. Thus, another 100,000 people are given free rations every day. Ask Babajee about the seva and he is reluctant to speak. "You see everything here. In our humble way we are trying to bring some light into this darkness. It is not a matter of publicity," he says with a beatific smile and turns away to supervise the distribution of milk powder to various hospitals. The langar was opened by Babajee and Sant Maan Singh who led a 1,200 strong contingent of dedicated followers, both men and women, along with more than 30 truck loads of food, diesel, kerosene etc to feed the starving thousands of Jagatsinghpur. Generators have also been brought and two bore wells have been dug to cater to the kitchen requirements since the water here was polluted. His followers, who work round the clock, from early morning to midnight, come from all castes and strata. Other groups of Sikh volunteers have joined them from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Their only aim -- feeding the famished. Their only reward -- smiles on the shrivelled faces. For, that is as good as God smiling at them. I reach there early in the morning having stayed at Lahunipada, the nearest town two kilometres away. The small hamlet dotted with tiny tribal hutments wears a sleepy look. But the villagers -- dark, sturdy men and women -- are already up and about. They have to go to the fields. My car arouses their curiosity and they stop and look, but not with much wonder. By now they are getting used to the visits of the Babus and political workers. Theirs is no ordinary village after all; it is a village that has sent a Cabinet minister to the Centre. Kendudihi is the name of the village to which belongs Juel Oram, president of the state Bharatiya Janata Party and minister for tribal welfare in the Vajpayee Cabinet. The villagers direct us to Oram's home which looks better off, though it is clear that it has seen worse days. "I am so happy for Juel; his father left us when he was in class four and thereafter it has been a hard struggle for me," says his 60-year-old mother Bhutki Oram. He has a younger brother Shyamru who farms in the village. Juel, born on March 22, 1961, studied up to the Intermediate level as a science student and then joined BHEL as a foreman where he worked till 1989. "It seems as if it was just the other day that Juel came to the village on holiday from Rourkela to look up his family. Now he is a minister of the Government of India," says uncle Dhruban, obviously finding the meteoric rise hard to believe. Juel Oram's nephew Gurcharan says the day they got news of his becoming a minister, the entire village of about 500 people erupted in joy. "The gathered in our house to see him on television," he says shyly. Juel Oram has been twice MLA -- in 1990 and 1995 from Bonai. And twice MP --- in 1998 and 1999. The first time he contested the Sundargarh seat in 1991 he was defeated, but now with two wins under his belt and despite opposition from the Congress and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, he is established as a popular leader. "He was always a nice child, very obedient and respectful to elders," says Ramsharan who has seen the minister grow up. "And he has not changed, even after becoming so important," the people around us nod vigorously. Are they hopeful that the village would get a facelift, now that he has become a minister? It is Bhutki Oram who intervenes: "Of course, he will work for the village. My son has always been a great help. He is a nice boy." The village has many problems -- bad roads, drinking water, electricity, irrigation, health care et al. There is only one upper primary school in the village and the children go to the nearest town for studies. But it is an hour to savour for the villagers, not to complain. Says Gurcharan rather cautiously: "We don't have many problems here; everything is fine. Let uncle come back from Delhi. After all, he belongs to the whole of Sundargarh, not this village alone." His wife, a sprightly young lady, informs us that the villagers are planning a felicitation when Juel Oram visits the village. She is happy that he has been given tribal welfare. "Who would understand our problem better than him?" she asks and smiles happily. For the villagers the portfolio has no meaning -- the only thing that matters to this happy lot is that their Juel is a jewel in the Bharat sarkar's crown. With him, they too have become significant -- after many long, dark years. Bibhuti Mishra has reported on Orissa extensively.
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