Every time I went home after a visit, she always sent me off at the shore. Like a daughter. I can still remember the last time she did this – she waved until I cannot see her from the boat. I never came back but her story stayed in my heart.

This 70-something grandma packs a wallop – yes, she even beat the tsunami.

Looking fragile and stooped, she proved to everyone that you can be small but strong enough to get through the odds – regardless of how big or daunting they are.

Hers was once one of the most successful natural-dyed sarong businesses in an island in Krabi, Thailand. Her designs won a lot of competitions. Always generous to the hilt, Prajim made sure she shared her talent to others – training other women on the craft.

Until the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami came.

Eyes changing from cheerful to sad, she recalled how the tsunami struck her small island. “I was waiting for guests when the tsunami came. I saw how the water receded in the sea and huge waves came hurtling down on us without warning. I ran as fast as I can without thinking what will be next.”

Prajim remembered the waves loomed and splashed hard at the entire island. She held tight at a standing coconut tree.

When everything calmed down, she found out they lost everything. The meager properties, including the family fishing boat that takes them to town and the sewing equipment, accumulated through the years swept away.

“All gone,” she whispered. “In few minutes.” She smiled but I can feel her pain. I can almost imagine the horror she underwent thinking if her children and grandchildren survived. It was hard to visualize how she absorbed the destruction around her.

“It took us a long while to accept the reality that what we have built for years were gone in a flash.”

The disaster changed their lives forever. I would never understand how it would have felt standing in the remains of a disaster gradually realizing there was none left but the clothes in your back.

How did she accept? If she had a choice, I bet she won’t. But in a disaster like the tsunami, there are no choices. Only acceptance. What do you do next?

I admired Prajim’s headstrong tenacity. Like a fire that cannot be put off. She did not wallow in misery. Picking up the pieces, she sought help and started again. That was how we got to her. There was no time to lose. There was no sense in dwelling on the losses.

Prajim never allowed even the tsunami to get in the way with her dreams. The waves were strong and came unexpectedly – but Prajim stood her ground and reclaimed what was rightfully hers. Her courage and determination shone brightly inspiring others.

Isn’t that supposed to be what we should do with every challenge we face in our lives? If Prajim can stand up to a disaster that shook the world, why can’t we face up to our pains squarely and say enough – time to dust the cobwebs and get on with life?

In so many interviews I have done covering disasters, people always told me they cannot believe it can happen to them. “We thought we would always see it in the news on TV.” Most also were unprepared.

Prajim’s courage was tested – and she showed everyone she got what it takes to face a giant – and win.

On the left photo, Prajim showed us how she works on the intricate batik designs of her sarong. “I have 20 different designs. They’re all in my head.”

o000o

“Plan as though you’ll be living for a century; live as though you’ll be leaving today.” – Our Daily Bread