We took boat rides with fishers to allay their fears

LIFE has come full circle for Supriya Sahu, who was a joint secretary in the department of health and family welfare when the tsunami struck.

- SV Krishna Chaitanya

She was one of the special officers in charge of several villages in Nagapattinam district. Today, as the additional chief secretary in the department, she recalls how post tsunami works repurposed her career as a bureaucrat, in an interview with SV Krishna Chaitanya. Edited excerpts:

■ Do you have any relief work moment that stayed with you?

One image that stays with me is from a mass burial I witnessed on a beach at Vizhandu Mavadi, one of the villages under my charge. Among the bodies was a little girl wearing a silver anklet. Watching her being laid to rest broke my heart into pieces. It was a moment that changed me forever and reinforced the urgency of our mission.

■ What were the immediate challenges?