By tapping into its traditions of private enterprise and self-reliance, Gujarat will bounce back on its feet faster than many people expect. There will be a New Bhuj, a New Bachchau, a New Anjar. Today's rubble will be turned into tomorrow's construction material. Many of those who have been bereaved by the quake will also be enriched by the massive reconstruction effort. My own guess is that in 10 years the quake will have faded from public memory.
Private memories are a different story.
I get a final glimpse into Gujarat's wounded psyche on my last night at Girishbhai's camp. Most of the people mainly slum dwellers seem in good spirits. Women gossip and giggle as they help the volunteers cook up a fresh batch of khichdi, a nutritious mixture of rice and lentils. The men are kept in splits by a barber's risqu jokes. We feel sorry for the rich and the middle-class folks, who lost expensive houses.