Ranjona Banerji Column: The good, the bad, the ugly

As Chennai some parts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh suffered through incessant rain and flooding through November and December we heard enough stories of individual bravery and generosity to make even the worst cynic rediscover the glory of humanityThe deaths destruction and desperation in those afflicted areas were dire And yet so many went out of their way to help each other putting their own lives at risk They collected muchneeded lifesaving supplies they rescued people trapped in their homes or offices and they travelled long distances to reach those in need Tamil Nadursquos film fraternity stepped up as one has never seen anyone do in India before definitely not our rich fat cats of BollywoodTamil actor and director R Parthiepan helps flood victims at Virugambakkam in Chennai on Tuesday Tamil Nadursquos film fraternity stepped up as one has never seen anyone do in India before definitely not our rich fat cats of Bollywood PicPTISocial media was used extensively to share information and news Strangers found help as people retweeted and reposted News media was also on top of its game in December having been largely oblivious in November News channels opened themselves up to ordinary people as they called for help or information or just to try and get a message through to their friends and loved onesThe Armed Forces did their usual commendable job when it comes to national calamities They put their welloiled machinery and their committed people to work Boats sailed down the roads to get the trapped to safety food packets and supplies were dropped on roofs and some daring search and rescue operations were conducted Our disaster management efforts would be nothing if it wasnrsquot for the Armed ForcesThat large swatches of government were missing in action was not completely surprising The administration was not just marooned itself it was stretched thin by weeks of rain and flooding But perhaps the government cannot be absolved of anything as much of the flooding was in fact waterlogging Thanks to unbridled construction and destruction of marshlands and water bodies that are essential for drainage the excess rainwater had nowhere to goNor is it remotely surprising that local politicians behaved like modernday maharanis and maharajahs because letrsquos be honest that is what they are And their loyal supporters have put them there Relief trucks were delayed for hours because stickers with the chief minister of Tamil Nadursquos face had to be pasted on them Hours wasted getting such stickers printed Time and effort spent getting J Jayalalitharsquos face on movie posters to mimic a movie superhero It is hard to imagine who would be fooled by this The devastation of Chennai is so widespread that even a passing crow would know that an lsquoAmmarsquo sticker is unlikely to fix itBut the worst of the lot has turned out to be business India and corporate India Rather than using this as an opportunity to gain goodwill by genuinely helping out some tried to gain fake goodwill with help that comes with a price tag A muchreviled war profiteer at least does not pretend to be a Mother Teresa Companies whose offers of help turned out to be selfpromotion with a hidden pricetag are surely more reprehensible And yet we had so many of those Private airlines whose tickets to places near Chennai cost more than from India to London Free food offers which just meant someone else would pay definitely not the company Free mobile calls when there was no cell phone reception Free taxi rides when no taxis could drive through roads and people were advised to stay indoors lsquoIn name onlyrsquo as the Indian idiom puts it so succinctlyAnd then you had the small trader looking to make a big buck A milkman who swam up two floors to sell someone a packet of milk for Rs 150 The cab driver who charged whatever he felt like Hoarders who contributed to a price rise Blackmarketers who had a field dayItrsquos as if every disaster of this sort brings out a twoheaded beast one that gives up everything to help while the other half waits in the murky gloom to make some money Otherwise known devastatingly as real lifeRanjona Banerji is a senior journalist You can follow her on twitter ranjona