21 bloggers embark on project to document Chennai’s 2015 floods

It was this idea, a project of sorts to document the incredible story, which motivated the Chennai Bloggers Club and Sixthsense Publications to come together for an exciting initiative – 21 diverse bloggers from across the country (some from overseas), narrating their encounters with nature’s fury.

Explaining further, Karthikeyan Pugalendi, VP of Sixthsense Publications, says, “We initially thought it could be a copy for the Kindle, but later, we decided to print all the personal accounts as a book. Our love-hate relationship with rain had always brought memories of ‘coffee and music’ pre-2015, but now, two years later, the memory of the floods lingers in mind whenever a sudden shower arrives. That is the impact we are trying to trace, and more importantly, remind the readers how the city provided hope in the face of conflict. The writers all have personal stories during the floods – from their lives turning upsidedown to being involved in rescue operations - this is an anthology that pays tribute to that spirit.”

The bloggers include businessmen, doctors, teachers, photographers, research scholars, etc. “There are recollections from many who were in other cities or overseas, unable to reach their families in Chennai – and the trauma they faced,” says contributor Bragadeesh Prasanna, who is a writer and runs a marketing company. “After the Quake is the title of a Haruki Murakami book, written after Japan’s 1995 Kobe earthquake – that’s where we got the inspiration for After the Floods,” he adds.

Commenting on the theme, he says rather than focus on the calamity, it is aimed at highlighting how everyone rose to the occasion. “All bloggers want to be writers, and this was also a good opportunity for them to make the jump. The stories are varied too; for instance, mine is told keeping an economic perspective in mind – how a banker and an army man dealt with the crisis. Now comes the second anniversary of the floods, and it’s the perfect time for people to be reminded of the incident,” he says.

The Madras Literary Society will host a discussion on the book and project on Saturday, November 25.