Cdr Ranjan Bhattacharya (retd)

The year was 2004. On December 26, at about 8am local time an earthquake measuring 9.1-9.3 on the Richter’s scale caused by a rupture along the fault line between the Burma and the Indian plate. Epi-centered off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, the earthquake was followed by a massive series of Tsunami waves triggered by it, racing across the Indian Ocean reaching heights of more than 30 feet in some places, which devastated coastal areas as far away as East coast of Africa.

Amidst this unfortunate mega event that left the region shellshocked, the response of the Indian government, one of the victims of the tsunami, was proactive and in consonance with our age-old ethos of ‘vasudaiva kutumbakam’--which in Sanskrit means, ‘the world is one family’. India extended her arms in support almost instantly.

I remember the day clearly. As a young naval officer posted at Mumbai, I found myself at the epicenter of the relief operations that were quickly set in motion with ships of the Western Naval Command being readied with almost wartime urgency. Even as boilers were flashed, personnel recalled, fuel and provisions embarked, relief material started pouring in destined for the worst hit areas in our neighbourhood. As the rest of the world deliberated, one of the victims of this catastrophe was the ‘first responder’ with critical relief for their fellow victims.

As our nation healed from this calamity slowly, we did not leave others behind. What can be more rewarding than this knowledge that India doesn’t shut its doors when faced with challenges, we open our hearts to reach out to everyone else in need. As I look back upon those days, I don’t think I have felt a greater surge of pride in my national identity, or a greater sense of purpose throughout my uniformed service. More than a decade and half later, as the entire world is reeling under the pandemic that doesn’t discriminate between the first or third world nations, afflicting the rich and poor in equal measure, one nation started shipping out vaccines destined for those who have none.

Indian Air Force carrying out Operation Rahat during the Uttarakhand floods of 2013.
Indian armed forces have always been at the forefront of humanitarian assistance,
both inside the country as well as outside, even though it is not their primary role

Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) defines humanitarian assistance as ‘actions designed to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain and protect human dignity during and in the aftermath of emergencies.’ According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (UNOCHA), humanitarian assistance would include ‘protection of civilians including those who are no longer taking part in hostilities, and the provision of food, water and sanitation, shelter,