K-town celebrities have once again come together to lend their support for the latest crisis in Tamil Nadu — cyclone Ockhi. The natural disaster has played havoc with the livelihoods of many fishermen in the Kanyakumari region, along with its surrounding fishing-dependent hamlets.
It’s interesting to note that after raising their voices during the jallikattu issue, farmers’ protests and the Cauvery dispute, the entertainment industry is now supporting and visiting, the cyclone-hit areas.
In fact, no sooner did Ockhi hit the news than G.V. Prakash released a new video seeking support and relief for the affected areas in Kanyakumari. He called for unity among the people and requested everyone to come forward like they did at the time of the Chennai floods two years ago.
He later posted on his social media account, “I humbly request the government to save those struggling fishermen stranded in the sea before they drown, as my sisters (women in the fishermen’s families) are in profound grief thinking about their dear ones.”
Besides garnering support through online platforms, Prakash and Aari also visited some of the areas of Kanyakumari, one of them being Kuzhithurai.
Worried and concerned after seeing the pathetic situation, the actors said, “Many fishermen have lost their lives in the cyclone and more than 600 fishermen haven’t yet returned home. Fishing is their only livelihood as the banana and rubber plantations along with farming have almost become extinct in the region.
Unaware of the latest technology, they lost their lives by going into the sea. The government should introduce innovative techniques for fishing and help these fishermen. Similarly, the government should use the latest techniques to find out the missing fishermen in the sea.”
The duo requested the cyclone in Kanyakumari to be considered a national disaster and provide ‘financial assistance’ for the restoration of infrastructure.
On the other hand actor Abi Saravanan set out for Kanyakumari in his car carrying many food items and relief materials after learning that a particular village near Suchindram was totally cut off from the rest of the region. Apparently, no one including government officials, media and NGOs have been able to reach out to them. Abi said, “I had to stop the car and walk inside as the road connectivity was snapped and I was shocked to see that life had almost come to a standstill there.”
The actor further said, “There was no electricity, no drinking water or food and out of the 28 houses on that street, eight had been totally washed away by the cyclone, while 12 have been severely damaged. All the people were sleeping on the roads. I distributed the relief items including biscuits, water bottles, bread, jam, fruits, glucose, rusk, dry fruits, nuts, rice, wheat flour, maida, sugar and salt and other materials like bedsheets, clothes, basic medicines, etc.” Reportedly, the actor also handed 1,000 rupees as medical expenses to each of the families there.
