Indians reach home safely from Japan

Indians from earthquake-hit Japan started returning home on Thursday. Though the All Nippon Airways’ flight did not register a huge increase in the number of Indians returning from Japan, those who arrived were visibly shaken by the tragedy they have witnessed.  

On arrival, B Madhu said, “What I saw was horrible. I have been staying in Tokyo for many years. Earthquakes are common there, but this one — coupled with the tsunami — was beyond any hope of even the hardened Japanese people.”

Nearly 5,000 Indians, out of a 25,000-strong community based in Japan, have already left the country.

Madhu’s wife and son were equally shaken by the experience. “My children study there in a CBSE board school. Following the quake, all schools were closed. Examinations have been postponed indefinitely. Even the company told us to return to India to be on the safer side,” added Madhu.

Madhu’s wife said that people there were facing huge scarcity of food and water. “There is no power supply and we don’t know how long it will take before normalcy is restored,” she said. 

After the first consignment of relief material, comprising woollen blankets was sent to the devastation-hit country, India has offered to despatch a team of National Disaster Management Authority and a response from Japan is awaited.

Anjali Chafekar was in Japan for a training programme and she was due to return in April. But her training was cut short and she decided to come back.

She claimed that food was in short supply at the refugee camps too, despite government efforts. “We did not feel scared in Tokyo at any point of time and we knew that we will be taken care of by the local government. There was no communication from the Indian embassy there but we never felt the need either,” she said.

When asked if they will go back to Japan once the nuclear crisis was over, Indian passengers said unanimously that they would not hesitate to do so.

Of the 16 passengers arriving from Tokyo, there were several Japanese nationals, but they refused to speak to the media. “It is difficult to give the exact number of Indians who have left so far as they are leaving from various airports, apart from Tokyo. But estimates are between 4,000 to 5,000,”  said official sources.

They said the government was closely monitoring the situation in Japan, which is reeling under the devastation caused by the tsunami and earthquake on March 11.

“It is a fast evolving situation. No one can say what will happen in next 24 or 48 hours,” they said.