Vimala Devi looks lost, lonely, and unsure. We are told she has two daughters, one 7, the other 5. Her husband Udaykumar owned a shop and an autorickshaw. He went missing on December 26, and is listed as missing and presumed dead.
Vimala Devi is 26. At first, she refused to accept that her husband would never return. Four months after the tsunami, she gave up hope and filed a petition for compensation. The tsunami's survivors received Rs 2,000 in cash and a cheque for Rs 13,000 as immediate relief. She has received nothing.
The government promised Rs 200,000 as compensation for the dead. That amount too has yet to reach her.
Vimala Devi does not have a bank account. She hadn't needed one when her husband was alive. Her shop was washed away by the waves. Now, the autorickshaw sustains her and her daughters. She stays with Alagarsamy Ponniah, a Public Works Department worker. He hailed from her village on the mainland and has given her shelter. Chief Secretary, Andaman and Nicobar, B S Negi, told rediff.com, "If she had stayed in the shelters, she would have received compensation by now."
Part II in the series: Sorrow in their eyes, yet smiles on their faces
Complete coverage: Waves of Destruction