On 26th January, 2001, 12-year-young Nancy Takkar was just another school student. It being India 's Republic Day, she reached school well before time.

A few minutes later, earth started shaking violently, tossing away 200 kids in and around the school building. For Nancy and her friends in the Anjar School it was just the beginning. Within a few seconds the school building collapsed, 200 children beneath it. Nancy was the lone survivor.

A massive earthquake hit the western Indian state of Gujarat claiming between 20,000 and 30,000 lives going by media reports. Kutch, Bhavnagar, Surendranagar, Rajkot and Ahmedabad districts were devastated. The material loss is estimated to be around Rs 30,000 crores, maybe more. The debate continues even as survivors are still struggling to cope.

Truth is perhaps the first casualty in any disaster.

Rehabilitation
Health Care
Differently Abled People
Psychosocial Consequences
Shelter
Water Supply
Government Policy
Compensation
Media
Discrimination
Disaster Management
Indian People's Tribunal
Film: Voices from a Disaster (28 min)
Voluntary Initiatives
Related Sites