For years, we work hard to put together our home, our hearth. We furnish it with things that help us live and give us joy—be it furniture, bedding, linen or utensils. To see that all gone, in a matter of a few seconds, is beyond traumatic and can break your spirit, especially if you are in the twilight years of your life. We met Babaji, in his 80s, in Ratta village, Gurdaspur district. We were in tears listening to him narrate all that he had lost in the floods. “Water was waist-deep; it washed away everything,” he says as the lines on his face crease deep with pain and hopelessness. He has less than 1 acre of land, which is not enough to sustain his household of six members. He is currently living in someone else’s home because everything in his home is soaked wet or destroyed.
Our team gave him some essentials to tide him over a few days and promised that we’ll be there to help him and his family pick up the pieces and rebuild his house and his hope.