Some of you have enquired about how we were faring in the aftermath of the recent floods in Chennai. To each one of you, we offer our sincere thanks for letting us know you care.
As has been reported widely, this was a large-scale disaster which touched, without exception, each and everyone of us here. Man, woman or child, rich or poor, animal or bird, everyone was personally and directly affected. It almost didn’t matter which part of the city one lived or worked in.
Kanchipuram, an important weaving centre, also experienced flooding and resultant damage. Sarangi, too, was impacted, though to a milder extent. Weavers and staff members faced various kinds of hardships including water inundation in and around their homes. The store was closed for almost a week as it was not possible to operate it given the circumstances.
In the midst of this calamity, citizens spontaneously came together to help each other. There are innumerable tales of humanity and heroism, courage and compassion. Not all are as dramatic as http://bit.ly/floodcopter or as heartwarming as http://bit.ly/chennairadha. Help has been pouring in from outside Chennai, too.
The people of this historic city have demonstrated remarkable resilience in bringing the situation back to normal. In the past two weeks since rains stopped, water has been pumped out. Vehicles repaired. Public transport and electricity supply restored. Shops reopened. Weavers back at their looms producing some of the finest fabrics in the world – the Kanjivaram. Many places have returned to normalcy, in others work is underway in full swing. Our store is now fully functional.
As normalcy returns, we thank you again for your expressions of care and concern.
Prabodh Jain 