Have been undecided about when and how to get to Nagapattinam. Today Yuvraj called me to a Citizen's Initiative meeting... a collective of NGOs and concerned individuals getting together...but they didn't bring about or even skirt past my idea of getting people to contribute in terms of skill to the effort. Some talk of discrimination against Dalits in the relief camps... sounds crazy, but probably true?
Intense debate on Indian government's policy of not taking aid from outside and people decried it as cashing in on an opportunity to lobby for a Security Council seat when we should be accepting all the help we can get. I don't agree actually, I think we just need to distribute better, and it's great that we are making a strong statement, because there is after all going to be life beyond the tsunami and we would have established a position in the sub continent.
Wars and catastrophes are inevitably the most crucial times to do this, and international and diplomatic efforts continue side by side with relief efforts.
The group wanted to send out a petition to the government etc. Came back thinking it was a small, disorgansied effort. ALF and Pedi Pics seem more organised somehow.
