Leesha K Nair
The hymn echoed through the Nicobarese settlement of Rajiv Nagar, weaving its way through structures that its residents now call home, illuminated by strings of bright, festive lights. Yet, amidst the celebration of Christmas, a deep sense of longing permeated the air — nostalgia for a way of life that the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami had all but erased.
“Christmas back then meant traveling for days between villages to celebrate with everyone. We carried heavy loads but were happy. Now, we are cramped in one place. This doesn’t feel like the Christmas we knew before the waves came,” said Robert*, leading the carolers past tin shelters that still don’t feel like home, even 20 years later.
The Devouring Sea
On that fateful day, December 26, 2004, the sea rose as an unholy leviathan. Nine carolers, journeying to their villages along western Great Nicobar Island were the sole survivors along that coast. What awaited them was ruin beyond comprehension. The western shores of Great Nicobar — once alive with the vibrancy of life, songs, and sacred rituals — had been devoured in a single, merciless moment. Entire villages had vanished beneath the waves, leaving behind no trace of their forms. For the nine survivors, there was no solace, only an aching void where their kin, their homes, and their way of life had once thrived.
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