Devastating Earthquake Hits Home

In Local Indian Community

By Steve Bigham

For most Newtown residents, the tragic earthquake that hit western India two weeks ago probably seems a world away. Most would have a difficult time pronouncing the name Ahmedabad let alone finding it on a map.

But the news of the devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake sent tremors through the Indian community in the Danbury area, which includes Himansu Patel and Niel Vyas of the Newtown Convenience Store on Church Hill Road. Both men grew up in the city of Ahmedabad, where rescue workers were still sifting through rubble in search of bodies this week.

“We’ve been calling over there every day since we heard the news,” said Mr Patel, who reports his aunt, one of few family members still living there, is doing just fine. Others were not as lucky, however, particularly those in the smaller towns of Kutch and Bhuj where tens of thousands were killed. These towns are located close to the Pakistani border, near the epicenter of the quake, which was reportedly felt more than 1,000 miles away.

During the first couple of days, neither Mr Patel, 39, nor his brother-in-law, Mr Vyas, 34, were able to contact friends and relatives back home. They later learned that this was because people were not permitted to return to their homes right away for fear they might collapse during one of the estimated 220 aftershocks.

“They lived on the road for three days because they could not get into their homes,” Mr Patel explained.

While no close friends or family members were killed, both men said they knew of others who had been killed. That is bound to happen when as many as 100,000 are believed to have lost their lives.

Both men say they never felt an earthquake in all the years they lived in India, although the state of Gujarat is considered earthquake-prone. Even their parents, who lived there for some 50 years, say they too never experienced an earthquake.

Mr Patel and his wife Jayshree moved to the United State back in 1986 in search of a better life. His brother, Jurat Patel, is a dentist in Danbury. Mr Vyas and his wife, Trusha, came to America six years ago.

Ahmedabad is the largest city in the Gujarat state, with a population of five million people. It is a hot city with a huge industrial base, similar to New Jersey, Mr Patel explained. It is winter there now and the nights can get cool.

The Danbury area is home to numerous Indian residents who are from the area around Ahmedabad in the Gujarat state. As members of the Danbury India Association, they have come together in an effort to do their part to help the injured and the estimated 600,000 who are reportedly homeless. There is much to do, members say. Once the dead are attended to, the nation must begin to clear the rubble and rebuild the cities and towns. It is a massive undertaking that could take more than 10 years. Then there are the children who have lost their parents. What is to come of them, both Mr Patel and Mr Vyas wondered.

According to news reports, the Gujarat state was the site of numerous tremors in the months leading up to the big quake.

Mr Patel opened Newtown Convenience in 1993.

Donations for the Indian earthquake relief funds are being collected at Newtown Convenience, 22 Church Hill Road; Newtown Shell, 67 Church Hill Road; and Newtown Amoco, 62 Church Hill Road. Anyone wishing to make a donation may also call: 778-3384, 825-6072, 797-1677, 748-3212, 743-9162. The Danbury India Association is working through three relief organizations – The American Red Cross, Share and Care, and BAPS.