Loss of this nature cannot be calculated in rupees, dollars, or any other currency for that matter. When something like this happens it is as if there is a gaping hole in the web of life. In the chaotic aftermath of devastation of this order, perspectives tend to be clouded by panic. This is a crucial distinction to make. Effective rehabilitation, by its very nature, demands perspective and planning and must ensure that every affected person is included.
Relief approaches people as objects, as recipients of succour and largesse.
Rehabilitation, in contrast, must see the subjects as builders of their own destinies. Sensible rehabilitation programmes are sustainable because those affected directly by the disaster have a stake in ensuring that they are a success. In Latur and its environs, after the 1993 earthquake, mobile exhibitions of films and slides on earthquake safety displayed in local mandis are said to have attracted huge crowds and a great deal of interest. This was because people were searching for ways to manage the calamity that had visited them. A rational rehabilitation plan, then, is what Gujarat needs at this juncture.