Indrani Roy Mitra and photographer Dipak Chakraborty travel to Cyclone Aila-ravaged Sunderbans and witness untold suffering and misery amidst an apathetic relief effort mired in red tape.
“Didi, have you come to make news out of our misery? Want to know our names? Please write down, my name is Hunger and this daughter of mine, who lost her father at 5, is called Thirst”, says a woman in her mid 20s carrying a half-naked child in her arms.
Out of 14 gram panchayats in Gosaba block, nine are badly hit and nearly 60,000 families are affected. Worst-hit areas include Amtakli Kumirmari, Chotomollahkhali, Lahiripur, Satjelia, Bally I & II, Kochuakhali, Gosaba, Rangabelia.