Ideology before Reality

This has reference to AM's Calcutta Diary (February 24). It is surprising that AM's comments on the 'Gujarat Earthquake' dwell mainly on the disaster in Ahmedabad, paying less than lip-service to the devastation in Kutch, parts of north Gujarat and other areas.

In Kutch, it was not a question of the solid foundation of "old structures" (which, according to AM, "generally stood firm") or the faulty planning of multi-storeyed buildings; the earthquake was indiscriminate in its devastation. Whether "globalisation and liberalisation had come to roost" in Bhuj, Bhachau, Anjar or Rapar (not Rupar) is immaterial and irrelevant. Villages with old style homes like Dhamadka, Lodai, Loria, Kukma faced massive destruction with heavy loss of lives in some. In Lodai, the only structure standing is a new two-storeyed 'pucca' house. In Banni, whereas Dhordo escaped with large cracks in their wood and grass roofed 'bhungas', 'bhungas' of similar structure in nearby villages collapsed completely. One must also remember that in Bhuj, along with new apartment complexes, the old town, uncluttered by high-risers, turned to rubble. What needs to be studied is why certain buildings, say the one in Lodai, survived; was it purely accidental or were there specifics of location, design, construction or material?